Motivation

"Uwaaaah~ That's a great bed right there. Way better than the one in my room." Waking up to a lavish room in a fluffy and comfy bed, Julian stretched himself and yawned.

As was routine when he was on free days. He got up early and did his morning exercises and training. A first awakening as a guest in a noble mansion more akin to a castle is not a reason to pass on it.

Of course, there were multiple things differents since he was in Re-Zero and not DxD.

Firstly, he was inevitably weaker than his Ultimate-Class self in his homeworld. Though he had a boon in the form of an seemingly unlimited pool of this world mana.

From the vague information from the manga and anime, even normal people could elevate their physical ability and give themselves magical properties by imbuing their body with mana. Attribute like enhanced strength, speed and all the likes.

The other way to use mana, was magic. If someone was compatible with one of the six elements then they could produce spells and manipulate some aspect of reality like heat for fire and such.

He could perform the former very roughly, as demonstrated when using that method in his first fight against Elsa and basically dying because of it.

He had an inkling that he would have an affinity for all elements.

Why?

Simply because of two parts in the wishes he made long ago.

The first one, was wishing for unlimited potential that was not limited to DxD only. Meaning that this wish was transcendant and would follow him no matter how many time his body was reconstructed to fit a world laws.

In hindsight, this was probably the biggest big brained condition he added since it literally put his potential at Universe level from his very start of any world. Though there was an obvious problem with this, since this potential manifested as a passive growth over time. As such, reaching universal level may take billion of years if he only relied on it.

The second part was letting the world decide what, as a unique Nephalem, his natural talents as a person and at what level they should be.

A condition that basically made him omni-talented at a genius level for most things and a prodigy for others.

These two aspects assured him a solid foundation in all the worlds he would find himself in.

Though the second one didn't seem to add or take anything from what he already had, so he could only guess that it made him talented at whatever he had never been exposed to before. Like this world magic system.

Thinking about all of this, Julian felt more confident to go ahead with his plans concerning this rotten world.

—————

Having finished his routine, Julian contemplated his very conspicuous modern days clothes in the room mirror and decided that it would be better to change them for something more local.

Alas, he had no spare outfits at his disposition and neither did the numerous drawers present in the bedroom.

Finding that there was no things to call upon a servant like a little bell or a button, Julian was disappointed with the customer service.

True, it was still pretty early. But wasn't giving a guest a pair of garments to change in for the next day normal?

Remembering the resident of the manor being a gothic lolitha spirit, an archmage clown psychopath and two Twin-Onii menaces. Julian scratched his head and shrugged.

If he thought about it, he indeed fit very well with the bunch. Subaru was the true anomaly here, simping for his half-elve girl. Who was, when you thought about it, another weirdo.

Discarding the amusing image of all the excentric residents placed beside one another with the ordinary Subaru looking awfully out of place. Julian exited his room and began his grand search of some pendery. Of course wandering alone and unsupervised was quite rude, but truly. He didn't give a crap.

It took him aproximatively 0,1673 second to realise that space was warped in the corridor he had stepped in.

This was annoying since if what he was searching for wasn't behind the two door neighboring his position he would never achieve his goal. Endlessly going around in loop.

From his knowledge of Re-Zero. He certainly knew who was doing this, and it was 100% on purpose since the perpetrator had just no reason to do it otherwise.

Since he knew the in and out of his predicament due to his otherworldy knowledge. Julian didn't even bother go opening a random door and simply seeked to go back into his room.

Needless to say, he was not surprised that the scene depicted beyond the opened door was not of his luxurious bed chamber.

What he was seeing instead was row and row of bookshelves stacked with books of all sort.

And just in from of him, nonchalently reading a book on a stool was a big headed little girl with blond hair drills.

In hindsight, this was good to meet her now because of his cold relationship with Puck that would inevitably influence her attitude toward him.

"Eh?.. you don't look like a servant. Who are you? and what are you doing in my room?" Starting the interaction with flying colors, Julian entered the library and rubbed his chin.

"I shouldn't have expected much from someone looking to have muscles for brains, I suppose." Slapping her book shut, the girl gazed up at Julian with a little frown on her face.

"If you seek an answer, this is the forbidden library that I am the gardian off. And your person is trespassing."

"Giving you a lesson for trespassing is in order. I suppose." Standing up, the girl advanced toward Julian without warning. One of her hand up and making buzzing sound.

"You're the guardian of this place? Then why are you not actually on guards and reading books instead? But that's very fitting for someone of such immature appearance, I suppose." Not caring in the slightest that the person before him was leagues more powerful than the current him, Julian threw her own words back at her with a smirk.

It seemed his words had some effect as the girl paused for a split second in her strides before answering with a certain edge.

"I needa not to be on guard for the likes of you. And since you weren't invited, you are still trespassing, in fact."

"If I was not invited here, then I was kidnapped."

As she was in the proccess of reaching for his hand with a finger, she paused again and procceeded to gaze unwaveringly at him with her big blue eyes for a couple of seconds.

"The all-brawn no brain is less dumb than he appear to be, I suppose."

"Who would've have thought that appearance were deceiving eh? Though I suspect your vision to be flawed for you to categorize me as dum— Oh. I felt that." Julian had not the time to finish his sentence as he felt a jolt from the doll like girl who seemingly wanting him to shut up, had promptly touched him with her finger.

...

"What...? How?" As she took a part of his mana to confirm his intentions and saw if he posed any danger, Beatrice's eyes widened and she took a step back.

"More mana than a greater spirit... Afinity with every elements... A body stronger than an onii. T-two gates. What, are, you?" Her tone wary yry her eyes wide with wonder, Beatrice demanded. Though Julian could tell she was ready to blast him to kingdom come if his answer was to displease her.

"The specifics are complicated. In short, I'm not human, and I'm probably the only member of my race as It is. I wishes you no harm, truly." Lifting his hands as a placating gesture, Julian said carefully.

"I will not say much for now, but I hope for cooperation. You see, those of my race are special. They are not bound by rules. Quite literally." Materializing a thread of orange EC and giving it solide form with quite some difficulty. Julian slowly offered it to the spirit.

"I'll be honest, as I am right now. I cannot bend those rules as I wish. But one day I will, and neither dying or living will change that. I only hope you will not be the one to end this life because of disthrust or suspicion." Staying in the same position with the magical thread hanging between them. Julian waited until Beatrice reluctantly took it, trying but failing to supress the fascination on her face.

Thinking the silence and not being killed his clue to leave, Julian turned to exit the forbidden library.

"What are your goals?" Yet before he could open the door, Beatrice's high voice sounded out.

"Those are not something privy to a stranger. I made the first couple of steps, you'll have to do them too." Julian, his hand hovering above the handle, answered.

"My name is Julian, my family names are too annoying and numerous to say. Though you would get two of them if you ask the other guest." Leaving it at that, Julian resumed his quest for some change of clothes.

—————

He did it! He found a pendery! And only after opening the 67th door too. He got lucky he didn't stumble upon someone's bedroom. Though he would have sense their presence of it was the case.

Now was just finding some nice clothes his size.

—————

Back in his room, Julian chose to do some meditation on his plans going forward was in order.

The time limit was not clear, but he could smell the trouble coming from Kass previous message to him during his little partynin his home with the ORC.

From what he gathered from that message. Higher dimensional beings could not harm him because of Kass' influence but they could apparently communicate with him.

He was supposedly too weak to be of any interests for now. But what when he'll be?

From the pieces and bits Kass had told him and from what he curently knew of the Supraverse's workings. He had a rough guess of why these beings would seek him out in the first place.

The fact was, higher dimensionals being could be groomed if certain circumstances were met. Groomed to 5D level if the recent happenings and his own situation was any telling.

From this, he could deduce two things. One, that his case wasn't unique. Heck, every protagonists with special boons could be the same as him, only that they didn't know.

And two, Kass probably have enemies that would seek to destroy him in the case he got on the road to succeed becoming 2D and above.

With Kass intervention, they probably couldn't act directly. But what if they sent whatever chosen or 1D force they had under them at him? At HIS universe of DxD?

This wasn't him being paranoid, it was simply a very possible scenario.

If the ground were equal between Kass and her ennemy because of their somewhat similar power, wouldn't their influence cancel each other if they actively tried to affect him or his world?

That's what Julian thought Kass meant when she had said that if she was supressed even further, it would be more dangerous for him than for her.

As such, for the first time in a while. Julian had fire in his belly.

He could die and burns in hell for all he cared. But to doom his entire world, his family, and his friend because of his nature? Of his passivity in amassing power?

He would not let that happen, ever.

That was why he had streamlined every benefices could get from his trip to re-zero. Knowledge, masteries, subordinates, allies.

Power that would follows him no matter the world he was in.

That was the point of suduing Elsa, the point of his conversation with Beatrice. And that was why he would be cruel to Subaru in the near future. For his own benefits and also frankly for Subaru own good.

Of course, he had not forgotten his promise.

But to accomplish them, he needed more power. Mainly mastery over his biggest boon.

His magical energy EC.

His problem was that he simply had not enough of it to do what he wishes to.

He had two solution for that, either he got more of it. Or he tried to achieve more with less, unravel its mysteries and improve its efficiency.

Since it was more suitable for this world and now that he had much more of that magic than before. He picked the second option.

That option of researching with long and in depth session EC was not possible before his ascension to second order.

Nodding his head to himself, Julian conjured an orange bubble of warped time of his highest current efficiency around him and began trying to truly manipulate the magic. Not simply the time aspect of it. But all of it.

And surprise surprise, it was freakishly confusing and hard. Though there was indeed countless things to learn.