Warm sunlight bathed me, wrapped in a thick, soft blanket. In that hazy moment, I felt a deep, heartfelt comfort.

The elegant Head Maid stood quietly nearby. The room was silent, everything perfectly peaceful and cozy.

But right now, cold sweat beaded from my forehead to my toes. My shut eyelids trembled slightly—every detail screamed I wasn’t okay.

“…Dark Lord, are you alright?” Cecilia, standing beside me, looked worried as she asked.

“Do I look alright to you?” I took a deep breath, my voice trembling. “Ugh—freezing cold. The Soul Reaper’s Styx power is so damn cold… Damn it, saving Lily cost a fortune. If I didn’t get my investment back, this Overlord would be bankrupt…”

I shivered and grumbled.

“Bringing back the dead isn’t a joke… Damn it, if I didn’t need a Sword Saint and a positive energy artifact, I wouldn’t have done this…”

I sniffed and shakily reached my trembling hand toward Cecilia.

“C-Cecilia, c-come here… I-I need your hug. I need your warm, honey-like chest to warm my icy body…”

“…Dark Lord, if you’re cold, just say so. I can warm you up.” Cecilia smiled, and in the next moment, black-purple flame burst to life on her palm—

The flame burned quietly on her slender, pale hand, emitting a faint trace of annihilation aura. Tiny bubbles formed and vanished instantly within it.

“…Whoa, I suddenly feel energetic and powerful!” Seeing the flame, I jumped up, tossing the blanket aside.

“…Dark Lord, if you’re cold, just lie down properly.” Cecilia sighed, watching me shiver yet stand stubbornly. She clenched her fist, extinguishing the apocalyptic-looking flame.

“…Huh, it’s nothing.” I took a deep breath and exhaled a frosty mist that seemed to freeze everything. Then I sat back down.

Before me was a desk, but it held only a few thin summary files—nothing like the mountain of documents I was supposed to handle.

“Dark Lord.” Just as I sat down, Wuluwu’s voice came from outside. The Elf girl with long bangs entered, carrying a tray with a bowl of hot soup.

“I made a medicinal soup with herbs to counter the Soul Reaper’s power…”

“…Bitter?”

“…Probably… quite bitter…”

“…Then… Cecilia, I need your honey-sweet chest… Forget I said that!” Hearing it was bitter, I looked hopefully at Cecilia—but before I finished, the elegant Head Maid ignited black-purple flames in her hand again. Seeing that, I grabbed the soup and gulped it down in one go.

I tossed the empty bowl back onto Wuluwu’s tray and exhaled another frosty mist—but this time, I seemed back to normal.

“…Frankly, Dark Lord, wasn’t the cost this time a bit too high?” Wuluwu frowned slightly, asking me.

“High cost or not, I had no choice.” I sat back in my chair, rocking it. “I still need a Sword Saint maid. Others have substitutes… and Lily is my best choice right now—”

“…I don’t understand. There are many Sword Saints. Why her?” Wuluwu tilted her head in confusion, her long hair swaying cutely. “Such a huge cost—you could recruit three or four Sword Saints as maids… Could it be you like her tsundere personality…”

“…Heh.” Hearing that, I couldn’t help but laugh.