Underpaid, Undersexed, and Under Custodio
Chapter 8: Running Up That Hill
Neia stepped through the swirling abyss and emerged into an unfamiliar hallway. After taking a moment to reorient herself she saw Cixous standing to the side of a doorway. The portal promptly faded behind her as she looked over to the maid.
Cixous flashed her a reassuring smile, "Are you ready, Neia?"
Now that Neia felt she was out of the danger zone, her nerves began to relax a little. She let out a deep breath before responding, "Yeah. Thanks, Cixous."
With a nod and another smile Cixous turned and gently knocked on the door, after which a deep voice beckoned for them to enter.
It sounded strangely… tired? Still, it was unmistakably the voice of the Sorcerer King, so Cixous promptly opened the large door and stepped inside, with Neia following close behind.
When Neia entered the room she quickly realized what it was, an office. For once the room wasn't massive, instead, it was actually rather small. It was, of course, decorated and cleaned with such care that every inch was its own piece of art just like the rest of the Tomb. Still, she almost expected the King's office to be a stadium-sized study filled to the brim with magical scrolls and reports about the goings-on of the Sorcerous Kingdom. Still, she couldn't say she was disappointed, it was a beautiful room after all. Soon her eyes were drawn to the center of the room.
The undead king was simply sitting behind his desk, which could have been a humorous sight given his large stature and imposing looks, but he somehow managed to make it look impressive all the same. He took a moment to stash away a couple reports and what looked to be a large book before speaking directly to Neia, "Miss Baraja, it is good to see you alive and well. How do you feel?"
Neia took a moment to fully compose herself before answering, "I am feeling just fine, Your Majesty."
He eyed her for a moment, his vision shifting between herself and Cixous. Neia started to feel a little uneasy.
Suddenly he cast a spell, multiple actually, and stared both her and Cixous down with inquisitive eyes. The sudden feeling of what felt like her very soul being examined in close detail made Neia very… uncomfortable. This was amplified because of who was doing it, and how suddenly it was happening, but she just stood still and let the King do whatever he was doing.
After a few moments the feeling left, and the King continued, "Well, I am glad to see that you are both truly unharmed. Would you care to explain what happened with Shalltear?"
Neia was reluctant to say something that could land her on that thing's kill list, if she wasn't already on it that is, but she also knew how bad an idea it was to lie to the king…
Thankfully Cixous spoke up for her, "If I may, Lord Ainz. I was assisting Neia in her preparations for the day, laundering her clothes as she bathed, when Lady Shalltear entered the bath…"
What followed was a shockingly blunt, but also strangely courteous explanation of Shalltear's little interrogation, "She immediately cornered Neia and began threatening her life in a rather intimidating and gruesome manner…"
'That's right Cixous, you tell him!'
"… however, I assure you that this was done in good faith, as at this time she was clearly not aware of Neia's position as your subordinate, and thus regarded her as an intruder. When she was made aware of my presence she quickly chose to affirm if her suspicions were indeed well-founded rather than doing anything rash."
'Eh… Cixous? That thing was going to kill us! Right?' Neia wasn't really sure why Cixous was so happy to cover for the creature, but she didn't protest, as that really was the truth. Neia wasn't quite sure how she would have put it, she wouldn't have lied, but she felt it might have been a bit more colorful than Cixous' rendition.
As if Cixous somehow heard Neia's thoughts she continued, "However, I failed to convince her as I told her the truth of the situation, and I am certain that she would have executed us had I not invoked your name. I am deeply sorry for troubling you by encouraging Lady Shalltear to confirm it with you personally. At the time I felt it was the only way to ensure our survival." Cixous then lowered her head into a deep bow.
The Sorcerer King was silent for a moment before quickly bidding her to raise her head and speaking plainly, "Please, do not apologize for that. The blame for this incident lays squarely on me. I failed to ensure that the news of Miss Baraja's position as my subordinate was spread among Nazarick's denizens, and that failure put you both in grave danger. You have my deepest apologies."
The Sorcerer King then bowed his head.
This came as an utter shock to Neia who quickly froze up, unsure of what to do.
Cixous, however…
"Lord Ainz! Please! Do not bow your head before us! We are not worthy! Please raise your head!" Her calm and collected demeanor seemed to fall into hysterics almost instantly at the King's gesture.
This shocked Neia more than the apology itself and she couldn't help but stare, mouth agape, at Cixous as she seemed to lose her nerve. 'How the hell did she stare that monster down with that confident attitude and then lose it at this?'
Neia was starting to think that perhaps everyone down here was partially insane, except for maybe the Sorcerer King himself.
Thankfully, the Sorcerer King raised his head after a few moments and Cixous seemed to calm down once more, though her breathing remained slightly ragged for a few moments afterward.
Ainz let out a little cough before looking to Neia, "Miss Baraja, I trust that you will corroborate Cixous' story?"
Neia nodded, "Yes, Your Majesty, her story is the complete truth."
He simply nodded in return, "I see. I understand if you do not wish to humor me, but I ask that you please do not hold this against Shalltear, she was merely doing what she thought was her duty. I am sure you can understand that."
There was no way in hell Neia would be able to just act like that never happened, but she definitely wasn't going to try and start trouble with that thing either, so she just nodded along. The King seemed pleased by this, and his vision once more swung back to Cixous.
After a moment of looking at her he began gently stroking his chin, "Well, I suppose I have you to thank for salvaging this situation, Cixous. If it hadn't been for your quick thinking…" Ainz's deep red pinprick eyes trailed back over to Neia and she felt a chill go up her spine at the unspoken implication. His eyes went back to the maid as he continued, "Yes, you have done a marvelous job indeed Cixous. Far more than I had expected of you when I put Miss Baraja in your care. I believe you are due a reward."
Neia looked back over to Cixous once more, and although her seemingly terrified expression had completely faded she was still definitely going through… something.
Her expression was indescribable as she quietly spoke, "Lord Ainz… your praise is worth countless rewards. I do not require anything more. Hearing that was enough." Neia could see her begin to nervously fidget with her fingers, just outside of the Sorcerer King's view of course.
Neia had half expected the King to simply give an appreciative nod and move on, but then she remembered how he acted when she tried to refuse his offer for a favor…
He sighed and spoke with a slightly tired tone, "I truly appreciate the sentiment, Cixous. But let it be known that refusing a reward from me displeases me greatly, and I will not allow exemplary effort such as this to be honored with words alone. You will be rewarded. Now tell me what you would like, it can be anything within reason."
It was almost bizarre how the King seemed to have to order the maid to accept a reward, but even after that the maid seemed to be reluctant, and his voice betrayed a kind of weariness with it all. Maybe that kind of thing was not just necessary, but necessary on a regular basis?
'I'm reading too far into this, aren't I?' Neia decided to just forget about it.
After a fairly lengthy silence, Cixous quietly spoke, her eyes pointed down to her shuffling feet, "I am sorry, Lord Ainz, but… could I ask for you to allow me to serve you more often?"
That seemed like a strange offer to Neia, but it also seemed like a fairly easy thing, which was why she was surprised when the Sorcerer King didn't immediately accept, "I understand that being my personal attendant is a very sought-after position among the maids. It could easily be arranged, but wouldn't that cause some friction between you and the other maids? The last thing I want is for there to be any more strife between my subordinates…"
'That's… surprisingly insightful.' Neia remembered when Cixous gushed to her about how thoughtful he was, was this what she meant? After all, what king cares about the workplace politics between his maids of all people? The Sorcerer King, apparently.
There was a long silence before Cixous spoke, "I-I suppose you are correct, of course you are, Lord Ainz. The other maids wouldn't be happy with me at all if I took some of their time with you for myself…"
Ainz went back to stroking his chin, before speaking again, his tone deep and thoughtful, "Perhaps something like a magical item wouldn't cause too much trouble… no, they would see that as something to be jealous of I am sure…"
Now this was bizarre. An incomprehensibly powerful undead monarch sitting deep in thought over whether a new necklace would make a girl's friends jealous of her. Neia would be a little bewildered if it wasn't so strangely… nice?
Neia really didn't care to follow that train of thought any further, lest she find that she had lost it too, and thus gladly allowed herself to be sucked back into reality as Cixous spoke again, "You are right once again, Lord Ainz…" she seemed to hesitate as her fidgeting seemed to double in intensity before quietly speaking in nearly a whisper, "perhaps you could reward me with something that they don't have to know about…"
Ainz seemed to notice her slight change in demeanor as he curiously clasped his hands in front of his jaw as he spoke, "Go on."
Neia was starting to get a little worried as Cixous quickly developed a visibly deep blush and her closed her eyes tightly before speaking, "Please forgive me, my Lord, but… could you give me… a hug?"
…
Neia could no longer keep a straight face after that, one of her eyebrows went sky high as she unceremoniously gave the girl a disquieted stare, her mouth slightly agape.
'She can't be serious… right?'
She quickly shot a few glances back towards the Sorcerer King as well. His expression was, of course, unreadable, but his silence was enough to let her know that he wasn't expecting that either.
'Maybe that encounter with Shalltear shook her up more than she let on? It really doesn't seem like that is the case though…' Neia was simply baffled.
That silence lasted for a few moments as Neia looked back and forth between the two, and Cixous seemed to be getting increasingly worried. Her eyes were still snapped shut but her fidgeting had stopped, replaced with a barely noticeable shaking. Neia began to feel a little bad for her, she must have been feeling quite embarrassed if nothing else, and she was her friend…
Suddenly the Sorcerer King cleared his throat, "That is an interesting request… and of course it can be done, but I don't know if it is entirely appropriate. Miss Baraja…"
The King trailed off as if asking Neia for her input, so she took one last look at Cixous' rapidly growing discomfort before obliging, "I-I wouldn't mind that at all, it's fine, really."
Ainz seemed to hesitate for a moment before he slowly rose from his seat, "Is that so… well, it is no trouble for me, so I see no reason not to accede to this request if it is what you desire for your reward, Cixous."
Cixous' eyes finally opened and a smile grew on her face. She quickly shot a deeply thankful look towards Neia before all but prancing over to the side of Ainz's desk. Ainz gracefully moved to her, but that grace immediately melted away as he awkwardly bent over and gently placed his arms around the maid.
Her face was positioned so that Neia could see her expression, which immediately bloomed into one of unrestrained joy. Her smile was the widest Neia had ever seen it as her face lit up the whole room and she wrapped her arms around the King in kind.
The whole thing was surprisingly chaste on Cixous' part given her previous behavior, Neia had honestly expected the whole thing to be a little uncomfortable, she just went along with it for Cixous' sake. However, when she saw the look on Cixous' face, she was suddenly reminded of how she felt when she hugged her parents after they returned from a dangerous mission or a lengthy service. While she knew Cixous didn't view the King like that, in that moment she saw that same connection. She felt it.
This realization caused a wave of emotion to wash over her as her mind conjured images against her will. Happy faces, happy memories, a happy life. Images of things she had thought long gone from her life, right in front of her, right here, almost within arms reach. It was something special, something she knew, something she had almost started to forget.
Soon enough Ainz pulled away and gave Cixous a small pat on the shoulder, to which she responded with a pleased hum and a little curtsy, a joyful smile still plastered on her face. Neia hadn't realized it in the moment but at some point she had started to… tear up a little. She quickly wiped any excess moisture away and prayed that the King didn't notice. Which, much to her relief, he gave no indication to the contrary. After a few moments, Cixous returned to Neia's side and Ainz sat back down behind his desk.
Almost as if nothing had happened at all, he spoke to Cixous once more, "I hope that was a satisfactory reward. You are free to leave now, Cixous."
The maid gave a little bow and thanked the King before turning to Neia and giving her that same thankful look from before, now with a sliver of embarrassment mixed in. She mouthed a silent 'thank you' before quickly exiting the room without another word.
Neia just stared at the door for a moment after she left, she had never expected to witness something like that out of the Sorcerer King, not in a million years. She turned back towards the undead, unsure of how to feel.
He looked up at her from his seat, not saying anything. Normally she would have started to worry at that, but not this time. Neia was once again alone with the Sorcerer King, now feeling more confused than ever, but strangely unafraid of that fact. Instead, in that moment, all that she felt was plain old curiosity.
She stared back at him, his unknowable mind hiding behind that unmoving skeletal visage.
'Just who exactly are you, Ainz Ooal Gown?'
'Well, that was certainly something. Cixous really seemed to enjoy it but…' Ainz continued staring at Neia, he couldn't quite make out what was going through her head. He could have sworn he saw her cover her eyes for a moment, just out of the corner of his eye, and for a second he was worried that he had made yet another foolish mistake.
When he saw her expression now though, he no longer felt that was the case. She stared right back at him with no indication that anything was wrong, in fact, she seemed more relaxed then she was before.
This got Ainz thinking, 'Was she still a little shaken up from her encounter with Shalltear? When I examined her stats I didn't see any lingering fear status effects… Maybe she is just happy that Cixous was happy? It would be nice if she was able to bond with someone from Nazarick that quickly but I find that to be doubtful…'
It is then that Ainz realized he had let a slightly awkward silence overtake the atmosphere and quickly moved to clear it, "So, Miss Baraja, how was your first night in Nazarick? I would hope Cixous was a good host."
The girl responded with a genuine smile, which came as a bit of a shock to him, "I had a wonderful time, Your Majesty. I assure you that Cixous was a great host, I am happy to say that I would even consider her a friend."
'She would say that she had a "wonderful time" even after that incident with Shalltear? And she already considers Cixous to be a friend? Assuming that she is being truthful…'
He scanned her expression and found no signs of uncertainty or deception, which left him pleasantly surprised, '… well that is good, really good. This is going better than I could have hoped, even after my little slip-up.'
The thought of everything actually working out for once despite his mistakes, and the thought of one of his precious subordinates making a new friend from outside of Nazarick, made him very happy with himself. This carried in his voice as he spoke, "I am very pleased to hear that you have already made a friend out of one of your new comrades. I had a feeling that you and Cixous would be able to get along, I must say that I am feeling more and more confident about your chances here with each passing moment."
Neia looked very pleased at this and she seemed to loosen up a bit further, "I am glad to hear you say that, Your Majesty. It is very reassuring, especially coming from you."
Ainz chuckled to himself, "Well, you survived Shalltear in one piece, while inside Nazarick, and with only a single maid to back you up. That is a serious accomplishment from any human, and if you can pull that off then I don't think there is much for you to worry about at all."
Ainz privately knew that that wasn't entirely true, 'Maybe a sex-crazed Albedo is an exception there, but I don't think it would be a good idea to introduce her to that concept quite yet, or ever for that matter. One can only hope.'
Neia gently shook her head, "I appreciate you saying that, Your Majesty, but I have to attribute that feat exclusively to Cixous, she may be a normal maid but I would be dead right now if she wasn't there to talk Lady Shalltear down."
'Well, that makes sense. There is no way Shalltear would actually let a human convince her they belonged in Nazarick without another denizen at least vouching for them.'
Still, Ainz had a gut feeling that he was correct in his assessment of her, even if he couldn't pin down exactly why, "I appreciate your honesty, and I'm sure Cixous does as well, but I still think you will do just fine even if that is the case."
Maybe he was just leaning on the optimistic side after hearing the news that she was already friends with another denizen, or maybe he simply wished for her to succeed and thus chose to believe it would be so. Either way, she had left an impression on him, which was more than he could say about most other humans, including many of the "strong" ones.
Neia certainly didn't seem like she wanted to argue with his assessment, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Silence returned to the room.
'Well, what now?'
In his rush to find out if the two were really in one piece after going through Shalltear he had called them up earlier than he originally planned, and then he separated them. He hadn't really thought it through before he dismissed Cixous, he just wanted to clear the atmosphere a bit after all the awkwardness. It's not like he could just call her back into the office so that she could lead Neia around again, that would make him look indecisive at best and foolish at worst. No, now he had to improvise, like always.
'Sometimes I really miss when I could just do whatever and nobody cared…' Ainz quickly snapped himself out of that train of thought and got back to the matter at hand.
After a moment it came to him, and he quickly reached back into his desk to retrieve Pandora's Actor's report. He pulled it out and presented the little folder to Neia, it was really more like a pamphlet compared to Demiurge's report, but it was something.
"I feel that it would be prudent for you to read this report, it is from Pandora's Actor and it is regarding your shared assignment." He then held it out further, and she quickly stepped forward to take it with a respectful nod.
She sheepishly opened the folder and started reading the first page. Ainz let this continue for a moment before realizing that it looked a little odd for her to be standing, reading a report. Without a second thought, Ainz created a chair for her with a wave of his hand. The girl was clearly a little startled when the object unexpectedly materialized next to her, as her head snapped up from the report at a (thankfully figuratively) breakneck pace.
'Perhaps I should have said something to her before doing that…'
In a smooth voice, Ainz beckoned for her to sit. But she didn't, "That really won't be necessary, Your Majesty, wouldn't it be rude for me to sit in your presence?"
Ainz couldn't help but chuckle at that one, "You say that as if you didn't just spend half of yesterday sitting in my carriage with me. Believe me when I say that you are free to be seated."
An embarrassed blush quickly grew over Neia's face as she obediently sat down in the chair, "That's right… well, I guess I just thought that things might be different now that I'm Your Majesty's direct subordinate."
'Another thing that is my fault, I never bothered briefing her on the expected formalities while addressing me. Actually, now that I think of it, what are the expected formalities? The guardians all kneel in my presence, but I never told them to do that, it's actually rather annoying to have to order everyone to rise all the time…'
Ainz then had a bit of an epiphany.
'I really don't care for any of it, I just play along because I feel a need to go with the proverbial flow. And that's exactly the kind of thing I am trying to get away from, right? Maybe this is an opportunity for a change of pace?'
Ainz decided to give it a shot, this new subordinate might end up serving as a useful testing ground for some new ideas with no strings attached. He spoke plainly, "You really needn't worry about that kind of thing. I am not one for formalities, I just act the part because it is what is expected of me, and it serves to keep up appearances. I'm not so vain as to demand petty things like that from my followers, just so that you show proper etiquette in front of others."
That really didn't seem to help at all, as now Neia was just staring at him curiously, and he felt the need to elaborate a little, "For example, you have taken to calling me 'Your Majesty', while this does not displease me, it is simply not necessary. You may have noticed that my other subordinates refer to me as Lord Ainz, that is something they choose to do independently of my orders. I don't require my followers to refer to me with any titles or to kneel in my presence, I find it all rather shallow."
Clearly that didn't help either, as she sheepishly responded, "I apologize, but this is very confusing to me, Your Majesty. You are a king, it is only proper for your subjects to address you in the correct manner and to show fealty with certain gestures. I take no issue with doing such things…"
Ainz was starting to feel a hint of frustration, it seemed like such a simple thing in his mind, but he nevertheless thought of another way to put it, "I understand that, but understand that I do not view the denizens of Nazarick as my subjects and myself as their king. I view the people of the Sorcerous Kingdom as my subjects, but my direct subordinates are a separate matter entirely. All I ask from them is respect, I don't wish for there to be a performative ritual for something as simple as speaking to me. Loyalty is shown through more than a bow and honorifics."
This seemed to finally get through to her as her expression revealed a sudden rush of realization, "I believe I understand… but would you really consider me a denizen of Nazarick? I have only been your subordinate for a very short time, I have only stayed within Nazarick itself for a single night, and I have yet to meet many of the others…"
Now that was a good question, did he consider her to be within that group? There was certainly more to it than simply being his subordinate, was Fluder a true denizen? Of course not. He considered everything from the guardians to the weakest maid within the Tomb to be a denizen, but could he consider someone who was once an outsider to be a true denizen? If so, then when did that change occur? Was Sebas' human friend a denizen?
Ainz was having a surprisingly difficult time with this, but he eventually came to a decision, "I would consider one who is a true friend to Nazarick and its inhabitants, and one who faithfully serves me as the other denizens do, to be a denizen. Do you think you fit within those criteria?"
Neia hesitated, clearly taking a moment to think carefully about her answer, and Ainz felt a little bad for dumping such a loaded question onto her.
'Perhaps that wasn't fair of me… but I am curious to see how she handles this.'
After a lengthy pause Neia finally spoke, "I don't believe it is my place to assign such an honor to myself, but I do believe myself to be an ally to you and the residents of your home, and I consider myself a friend to Cixous at least. I also know that I will serve you to the best of my ability, and I am sure that the other denizens of Nazarick serve you in that way as well…"
'I guess I really shouldn't have expected a straight answer with how sensitive the subject is…'
Ainz decided that maybe it was best to leave it in up in the air, maybe the title of denizen would serve as an incentive for loyal service, "You make a good point, perhaps there is still more to it than that…" Neia nodded as he continued, "I feel that while you aren't a true denizen yet, you soon very well could be. Regardless, what is important now is that I do not view you in the capacity of a subject and myself as your king, so I do not care for such formalities."
'Although that still leaves the issue of…'
Neia's expression once more returned to one of uncertainty, "I see, then how should I address you?"
Ainz silently sighed, 'Why did I have to go and make a problem out of this?'
After a second he decided to let her decide, "You can address me in whatever way you wish, within reason of course."
She once again took a short while to consider her response, before nodding to herself and looking back to him, "I feel that 'Lord Ainz' would be appropriate in that case, if you take no issue with it."
"That works well enough I suppose. In any case, may I simply call you Neia? I refer to the rest of my subordinates in a similar way and it would feel strange to make an exception for you, calling you 'Miss Baraja' as I have taken to doing is abnormal."
Neia quickly nodded her head without a second of hesitation, "Of course, Lord Ainz, you may call me whatever you wish."
With that, the matter was settled. A brief silence followed before Ainz realized how far he had just thrown everything off track. This whole thing started because he made a chair for her to read a report in, talk about a tangent. He supposed it didn't matter, he was just killing time at this point anyway.
After a moment Neia also seemed to remember the report in her hands and quickly began reading it. While she was doing this, Ainz thought about what to do when she finished. Nothing was stopping them from simply returning to his carriage and waiting for the Paladins to continue their journey, but he figured it would be a little while longer before they were ready to leave, and that it would be a bit of a waste to just sit there waiting for them.
'Now that she is here, and that we have some free time, perhaps a tour would be a good idea? Maybe introducing her to the others would be prudent, just to avoid any future confusion… but we don't really have the time for that, do we? Maybe just meeting with one other denizen would be a good start.'
Neia really seemed to be taking the report seriously, as Ainz noticed her going back over the pages a couple times each, which he didn't mind. Soon enough she was finished with the report. She neatly closed the folder and placed it back on his desk before speaking, "It is good to see that Pandora's Actor has already begun experimenting with these ideas, I can't say I really understand this part about 'magical projection', but I am sure that it is child's play for you. Could it be that you wish for me to begin learning about this sort of thing? It is interesting, but I am afraid I am not very magically inclined…"
Ainz shook his head, "No, you needn't worry about that. That side of the project is Pandora's Actor's responsibility, all you need to worry about is the field work. I just thought that it would be appropriate to keep you up to date."
Neia looked relieved to hear that she didn't have to start delving into magic, and she absentmindedly stared down at the Ring of Archiving, gently caressing its small crystal orb for a moment before Ainz spoke again, "We have some time left before we need to continue our journey, how would you like to meet another denizen of Nazarick in the meantime?"
For a moment Neia seemed a little reluctant, but that quickly faded and she rapidly nodded, "I would appreciate that, but only if you wouldn't mind taking the time to do so and if it isn't any trouble, of course."
"It is not an issue, I assure you. I do not have any more pressing matters, and I am sure they would enjoy a visit from me anyway, call it a morale boost if you must." Ainz then took the report from his desk and neatly stowed it away, before thinking of where they ought to go to first.
Or more accurately, who they ought to go to first.
'Perhaps the twins? They seem like a safe bet…' Then it came to him, 'That's right! According to Albedo's report, Sebas should still be in E-Rantel assisting with the administrative apparatus, which means he is likely available. If Aura and Mare are a safe bet then it is essentially guaranteed to go smoothly with Sebas.'
More importantly, his human friend was there with him, and Neia might appreciate a chance to meet someone who shared her unique position...
Without any further delay, Ainz cast Message.
AN: I hope you all enjoyed this one, I know not too much happened plot-wise. I've noticed that the pacing is a bit slow, but I am hoping that the interactions between the characters are "dense" enough to keep it interesting. I've always been a bit of a sucker for slow-burn stuff myself, but let me know if you enjoy this more focused slower style or if you'd rather I just get on with it. Reviews and criticism are welcome as always, but that's about it, see you next time!