Underpaid, Undersexed, and Under Custodio

Chapter 10: The High Road

"We are relieved to hear that you are satisfied with our progress, Lord Ainz. We live to serve, and your praise is all we wish for in unlife! Please, if you have any further concerns feel free to visit again, we are delighted by your presence!" The Elder Lich's face was an unchanging skeletal reflection of Ainz's own, but if they both still had expressions they would show two very very different pictures.

"That will not be necessary, I have seen enough, thank you. I must be going now." Before the Lich could speak again, Ainz quickly slammed shut the doors to the Assembly Hall. Perhaps a little harder than was necessary, as a loud bang reverberated through the empty hallway and echoed into the distance.

Ainz didn't care about the noise though, 'Why do I do this to myself? What part of me thought that surveying administrative bureaucracy was going to be a good way to kill time? The bureaucrats weren't even real people, and while Skeletons and Liches may be good at sorting paperwork they make for very poor conversation!'

Ainz cursed the fickle nature of his emotions. He usually didn't have to deal with strong overpowering feelings, which was both a blessing and a curse, but various unpleasant lingering things like boredom were left untouched. It sucked just as much as when he was a salaryman. In fact it was probably even worse, given the circumstances.

'Here I am, an absolutist ruler with no restrictions, with the ability to use magic, and what do I choose to do? Look at skeletons sorting paperwork in an empty room for an hour straight. What is wrong with me? I should have just stayed with Sebas and Neia…'

Ainz thought back to them as he began walking back in their direction, 'Well, leaving was probably the right choice. Things were getting unbearably uncomfortable, and all because I was too slow to realize how awkward it must have been to have their boss breathing down their necks. Especially when they were trying to socialize.'

He once again went back over it in his mind and chastised himself for not realizing the issue sooner, 'I was curious to see how Sebas would handle her and vice versa, but that wasn't really the point of introducing them. I'm sure they will let me know how it went in any case. Still, I could have thought of something better than a glorified office tour to pass the time…'

Maybe the boredom had gotten to him a little as his imagination went wild, 'Maybe I could have cast Perfect Unknowable and flown around the city hunting criminals. That would have been interesting.'

…

Ainz began massaging his temple with his left hand as he walked, 'No, that is a stupid idea. I would be encroaching on Momon's territory as the city's hero. The last thing I want is to start a panic over a mysterious invisible force attacking people, be they criminals or not. Besides, the Death Knights handle things well enough. Criminality is no longer a problem in E-Rantel last I heard.'

It was at times like these that he remembered his position was a double-edged sword, like seemingly everything else in his life. Sure, he was allowed to do anything he wanted, but that didn't mean there were no consequences for his actions, just that there were no punishments.

With a sigh, Ainz gave up, 'I guess sometimes you just have to suck it up and watch skeletons move paper for a while. There are worse fates.'

Soon enough, Ainz was back at the door to the dining hall. He took a moment to collect himself before entering.

"Ah, Lord Ainz, welcome back." The deep voice of Nazarick's Head Butler immediately greeted him, moving to stand up and give a bow.

Ainz could immediately feel that the awkward atmosphere from before had dissipated long ago. Tuare was refilling Sebas' teacup with a smile, and upon his arrival she quickly finished doing so before setting the teapot down and giving him a respectful bow. Then he looked to Neia, who was looking up at him in surprise at his sudden arrival. Her mouth was full of pastry, which caused her cheeks to puff out slightly. Hamsuke of all things came to mind.

He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the sight, "I see that you were hungry. Perhaps I should have made time for you to have a proper breakfast, Neia."

At this, Neia's face flushed in embarrassment and she quickly swallowed down the pastry, coughing a couple times before croaking out a reply, "N-no, I am fine, thank you Lord Ainz." She then hurriedly reached for her cup to wash down the hastily consumed pastry.

Ainz could see Tuare trying to hold back a laugh, and doing a pretty good job of it all things considered. Sebas's face remained unchanged, as usual. When Ainz looked back to Neia he could see that she was still clearly embarrassed, her blush was quickly fading, but she wasn't making eye contact with him and he could tell she was nervously fidgeting with her hands under the table.

Ainz found this endearing, it was such an innocent little mistake, and he found her flustered reaction rather amusing. He'd much rather have this then have her jump out of her seat and beg for forgiveness, her imperfection was almost refreshing. Had someone like Albedo somehow gotten into this same situation he would currently be going through the motions of consoling and calming her instead of just enjoying a pleasant moment.

Instead of having to bark orders to raise her head and calm down he just had a simple thought.

'How cute.'

Before Ainz could think any deeper into that, Sebas spoke, "Yes, I believe I was correct in my assessment of Tuare's cooking ability being a potential asset. Miss Baraja clearly enjoys it as much as I do." He then reached for the platter and took another pastry, taking an appropriately sized bite before gently placing it onto his own plate and taking a sip of tea.

Tuare was positively beaming at the praise, and Neia capitalized on the shift in focus by hurriedly adding, "Yes, these are absolutely delicious. Tuare is a really great cook!"

Tuare's smile grew a little wider and an embarrassed blush of her own began to grow, "Thank you, Neia, but my cooking is nothing compared to what you'll find in Nazarick." Sebas didn't debate this, but still took another bite out of his pastry regardless.

Neia looked legitimately surprised to hear that, and stared down to the pastry on her plate without saying a word.

'If she was from a poorer family, that pastry might have been the best tasting thing she's ever eaten…'

Suddenly, Ainz got an idea.

"Tuare, Sebas, would you mind if we took those with us on our journey?"

Neia turned and looked up at him, her embarrassment having completely faded away, she had a puzzled expression.

Sebas shook his head without skipping a beat, "No, of course not, Lord Ainz. You can take as many with you as you like."

Tuare seemed a little surprised by Ainz's sudden request, but quickly shook her head as well and followed Sebas' lead "You can have as many as you wish, I can even go make more if you would like."

Ainz shook his head and gestured towards the small pile of pastries left on the platter, "No, just this amount will be fine. We unfortunately do not have enough time remaining to have you make another batch. Perhaps another time."

Sebas chimed in once more, this time with a question, "Forgive me, Lord Ainz, but could it be that you will be departing soon?"

Ainz gave a simple nod in response and Sebas continued, "I assume that you have surveyed the progress made with the administration here, I would like to know if you have found the current system to be satisfactory."

'Come on, not back to this, please…'

Ainz was just barely able to hold the tiredness from his voice, "Everything looked fine, good job Sebas."

"I am pleased to hear that you are satisfied with the current system. Please forgive me for imposing, my Lord, but if that is the case then I humbly request that myself and Tuare be transferred to a new assignment." He then gave a deep bow.

Ainz couldn't remember the last time someone openly asked him to be reassigned, and he definitely didn't expect Sebas of all people to do so, but then he came to a realization.

'Oh… oh no. Sebas has had to do that every single day for a good while now, hasn't he?'

Ainz felt a wave a guilt wash over him, he had the gall to complain after sitting there for an hour while Sebas had been stuck there for weeks. Ainz raised up his hand to once again massage his temple.

Sebas noticed this, "Ah, you have my sincere apologies, Lord Ainz. I did not intend to-"

'Here we go…'

Ainz cut him off, "You are to be reassigned immediately. Actually, no, you are to be given a week long break. Both of you." As predicted, Sebas tried to protest, but was shut down with practiced swiftness and uncharacteristic harshness, "I will not be second-guessed, Sebas. That was an order."

The butler went silent.

'That was a little too harsh, wasn't it? It's not his fault I'm losing my patience…'

Ainz's voice softened, "Please contact Albedo as soon as you are ready to return to Nazarick, she will handle the specifics. Also tell her that this assignment is to be delegated to a lower level summon, there is no need for such a powerful denizen to oversee this operation."

Sebas gave a thankful nod, as did Tuare.

'If I didn't come see him for Neia's sake, just how long would Sebas have been stuck here?'

Ainz didn't want to think about that, when he finally got a real handle on things he'd make sure stuff like this didn't happen again. Or at least he would try.

He looked back to Neia, who had been silently observing their exchange with interest, "Are you ready to go, Neia?"

She nodded and stood up before bowing to Sebas and Tuare, "Thank you two for all of your advice and help, and for the delicious pastries and tea. It was a pleasure meeting you both."

Sebas and Tuare returned the gesture in unison, and the butler gave a simple, "Likewise, Miss Baraja."

Ainz was pleased to see that they were getting along, though he had fully expected that from the start. He could only hope that it would continue that way.

"We will take our leave then. Thank you for your time, Sebas, Tuare."

They both bowed to him as well. Tuare grabbed the silver cover of the pastry platter and covered the dish before handing the whole thing to Neia, who gingerly accepted it with a small smile.

Ainz then focused on the interior of his carriage and cast Gate, the familiar swirling purple abyss appearing instantly a few feet to his left. As soon as it appeared he gestured for Neia to enter, which she readily did.

Ainz looked to the portal for a moment before turning back to Sebas, "One more thing, Sebas. Do you have any thoughts regarding Neia?"

"I believe that you have made a very good choice in subordinates, as is to be expected of a Supreme Being." Sebas gave another bow.

'That really didn't answer my question…'

Sebas, seemingly sensing the dissatisfaction of his master, quickly elaborated, "She is respectably intelligent for a human, and she is receptive to the wisdom of those above her, which is admirable. While she is and will likely remain physically weak, I can sense the potential for a loyal servant within her."

'Well, that's about as much as I could expect from Sebas I suppose, all business. How about Tuare…?'

"And what are your thoughts on the matter, Tuare?"

The maid's eyes widened in shock at her input being asked, but she responded nonetheless, "She was kind and understanding, a pleasant person in my opinion. She seemed smart as well, I suppose. I'm sorry Lord Ainz, I don't know what else to say…"

Somehow Ainz felt that he had gotten more out of Tuare's testimony than Sebas'.

"No, that is perfectly fine Tuare, I value your input. Thank you for the pastries." He then remembered that she had poured him a cup of tea, he looked down at the table to see that it was still sitting there, untouched.

'I barely noticed that she did that, how rude of me…'

"Would you mind if I also took that cup of tea? It would be a shame to let it go to waste."

Tuare's eyes once again widened in surprise as she quickly shook her head, Ainz nodded before grabbing the cup. In his large skeletal hand the teacup was pitifully small, so he simply held it with two large bony fingers. He supposed that probably looked rather silly, but he didn't care. Instead he just gave a simple wave with his free hand and disappeared into the void.

Neia emerged from the portal into the interior of Ainz's carriage, the platter of pastries still in her hands. The light from the rising sun was just barely trickling through the windows, and she could hear the sounds of paladins working on disassembling the camp. Judging from the schedule they previously followed she predicted that they'd be done and ready to get back on the road fairly soon.

She looked back to the portal, from which Ainz had yet to emerge, 'He must be talking with Sebas, I guess I should just wait here. Should I sit down?'

Standing with this platter was a little awkward in the confined space, and the soft cushions of the carriage's seat seemed rather inviting… Something told her that the King wouldn't mind, so she just went for it.

The seats were just as comfy as she remembered. She let out a satisfied sigh as she felt herself slightly sink into the soft cushion, the platter sitting comfortably in her lap.

She stared down at the lustrous silver dome, the odd purple glow of the portal reflecting off it's surface, 'Why did he ask to take this with us? I said that I was fine with what I had already eaten, Sebas seemed to really be enjoying them, and Tuare never even got to eat one herself. Maybe it's a gift for the paladins? But there isn't enough here for them all to get one, so that can't be it… It wasn't for him, right? I'm pretty sure he doesn't eat, how would that even work?'

Neia's brain started conjuring a scene, the Sorcerer King standing in the dining hall with a pastry in hand, his skeletal jaw opening and then him dropping the treat whole into his maw. It would go in, and then promptly fall right through him before unceremoniously splatting onto the floor. Somehow, Sebas would still nod in approval, that serious look still on his face.

She knew it was an incredibly silly thought, but she couldn't help but smile at the humor of it.

It was at this moment Ainz finally emerged from the portal. If Neia wasn't familiar with the King this would have been terrifying. While she was sitting he towered over her, and his glowing red eyes stood out like blood-red torches in the dimly lit carriage, especially when the portal collapsed behind him and the room became even darker.

"I see that you have made yourself comfortable." His choice of words mixed with the unsettling visual made this seem particularly ominous, but Neia kept her cool.

His tone didn't seem accusing, but she still thought that she might have made a mistake, 'Maybe sitting wasn't the right call after all…'

Just as Neia was about to apologize, Ainz himself sat down and let out a sigh, "So, how did you like meeting Sebas and Tuare?"

Neia blinked a couple times before speaking plainly, "It was great, Lord Ainz. Thank you for introducing us. Sebas gave some really thoughtful advice and Tuare was very pleasant to speak to."

She chose to completely omit the misunderstanding about her eyes, and Ainz seemed pleased to hear the good news, "That is good to hear, I had a feeling that you would get along with those two."

A short silence filled the air, and so Neia decided to settle her previous curiosity, "Pardon my foolish question, Lord Ainz, but I am curious as to why you decided to bring these pastries with us…"

He replied without skipping a beat, "I brought them for you, of course. It's not like I can eat them after all." He then lifted up his hand and Neia finally saw the little teacup delicately held by his bony fingers, "I also brought an extra cup of tea. I understand that pastries go better with with some tea, and that they can be difficult to swallow without something to drink."

Neia was shocked at this, she didn't know what she had expected him to say, but she didn't think he would have done all that simply for her sake.

She could see his red pinprick eyes trail over to the cup in the darkness, "Ah, I suppose the tea must be cold by now, it was sitting there for a while." There was then a bright golden flash as a spell was cast, "There we go, nothing a little magic can't fix."

He then extended his hand out to her and she gingerly took the cup, he quickly added, "Do be careful with that, I am not sure exactly how hot it is, but if it is too cold I can always cast another spell."

Neia was speechless, 'Why? None of this was necessary, we could have just left…'

All she could do was stutter out a thank you as she stared down at the tea. She took a careful sip and found that it was at just the right temperature.

Ainz spoke before another silence could take hold, "How much longer do you think it will be before the paladins are ready to go? I was almost expecting them to be waiting for us."

This shifted the focus back to business. Neia peered out the window and saw a few paladins securing a tent to the pack of a horse, "I would guess at around fifteen minutes, my Lord."

Ainz let out a thoughtful hum, "That leaves enough time for you to go speak with a few of your friends before we get on the road, if you would like to do so. Or you could just finish your breakfast now, though there will be plenty of time to do that while we are on the road."

'Friends… oh, Gustavo! I never saw what happened to him after the fight, he could be dead for all I know.'

"Thank you, Lord Ainz, I think I will do that." She then placed the teacup on a small end table and moved the platter onto the seat next to her.

Just as she was about to stand up, Ainz raised a finger, "Before you do that, would you like me to go with you?"

This made Neia pause, 'That's an odd thing to offer out of the blue… is this a test of some sort? Is he suspicious of me? Maybe-"

"I see that you are reluctant to answer that. I don't mean to impose, but I admit that I am rather reluctant to leave you alone when that Captain is still prowling around. You can go on your own if you wish, but I insist that you take this." He then reached into his cloak and produced a scroll seemingly from thin air, "This scroll contains a basic teleportation spell, simply think of the interior of this carriage as you use it and you will be transported here safe and sound. Do you understand?"

'He wanted to come with me to protect me?' Neia felt a small wave of guilt pass over her for immediately assuming the King distrusted her, but this was quickly replaced by an odd fuzzy feeling as the meaning behind his words sunk in.

'He's just concerned about me…'

"Neia?" Ainz's tone revealed his curiosity as he stared down at her, this brought her back out of her thoughts and into reality.

For a moment she considered just letting him come with her, but that would probably make Gustavo uncomfortable, and she wanted to speak freely with him so she gingerly took the scroll, "Thank you Lord Ainz, I understand. I only really want to talk to one person out of the group, Gustavo, the man who saved me from Remedios yesterday. I shouldn't be out for long."

Ainz stroked his chin, "Is that so? Alright then, just do not hesitate to use that scroll, it is expendable."

'And I'm not?' That fuzzy feeling from before started creeping back in.

Neia stood up, "Thank you, Lord Ainz. I will be back shortly."

Ainz gave her a nod and she opened the door of the carriage, stepping out into camp.

The small camp was bustling, everywhere she looked there were paladins hauling camp supplies or folding up tents. Their entourage really wasn't that big, but when they were all working at the same time they looked like a swarm of ants. A few of them noticed her exit the carriage and curiously stared at her.

'Knowing Remedios they probably still have no idea what happened yesterday, and they definitely aren't going to ask her about it.' Neia decided that maybe that was for the best, and she started looking through the sea of faces to find Gustavo.

She couldn't see him, which was worrying, but she couldn't see Remedios either so that was a plus. Eventually she decided to just walk around and find him that way. As she walked, the eyes of the paladins drilled into her. They weren't filled with malice, only curiosity, but they made her feel uncomfortable all the same. She decided to give the command tent a wide berth as she walked through the camp, though it was currently being disassembled she still didn't want to risk it. Eventually she saw a glimpse of a familiar face on the outskirts of camp.

Neia began jogging in his direction, he didn't seem to hear her approaching as she was able to get right up behind him without alerting him. She lightly tapped him on his shoulder and he quickly whipped around, a startled look on his face.

When he saw it was Neia he calmed down, "Oh, Neia. Sorry, you startled me. I'm glad to see you are alive and well."

'He seems on edge and distracted. That's not a good combination…'

"Likewise, Gustavo…" Neia decided to just get right into it, "How did you fare after the… incident?" His expression dropped at that, and she felt a small wave of guilt wash over her.

'If he got screwed over then that is my fault. At least he's still alive…'

Gustavo quietly spoke, "I fared better than I expected, though that was admittedly not a high bar to clear. I expected to be executed, but instead she did the same to me that she had originally done to you. After the war is over I am going to be discharged."

'The man went from Vice Captain to nothing in the blink of an eye. He's been working at this his whole life, this is much worse than what happened to me…'

The weight of the guilt hovering over Neia's conscience doubled, "That is terrible, Gustavo, and it's my fault. I swear I'll make it up to you somehow, I promise."

Gustavo's expression still betrayed his sadness, even as he reassured her, "Please, do not worry about that. I know that I did the right thing, if I let her kill you then I could never forgive myself. I would rather take an early retirement than have that guilt hovering over me." He somehow managed to force a pitifully weak smile, but given the circumstances it was a rather impressive display.

Neia realized the strange irony of the situation, just yesterday morning their positions were flipped, "If you ever need anything, let me know. I might not be a part of the Order anymore, but I'm still here. I'll help in any way that I can, if the Sorcerer King allows it."

Neia knew that this wasn't as reassuring as when he offered his support, she was easily weaker than him, but she owed him her life. This was the least she could do.

He gave a thankful nod and his weak smile strengthened ever so slightly, "I appreciate that. Speaking of the Sorcerer King, how have you fared since yesterday?"

Neia was much happier to speak about her experience, "Very well. I think I was correct in my original assessment of the King, he isn't evil, and he isn't dangerous. Well, at least he isn't dangerous to us. The beastmen have another thing coming." She couldn't help but smirk after saying that. "We really lucked out with him, Ireally lucked out with him."

The paladin's expression shifted into one of uncertainty, "You are putting an awful lot of faith in that undead, Neia. I don't know what you have been through since yesterday, but you have to remember what he truly is."

Gustavo's eyes widened when Neia almost instantly shook her head in dismissal, "No, I really can't believe that he is concealing a darker nature at this point, you would have to see it for yourself to understand."

His eyes narrowed and his expression looked dangerously close to suspicious, so Neia decided to approach the topic from another angle, "See, he would have had to dedicate an unreasonable amount of time, effort, and resources to fool me this thoroughly. I really believe that he is genuine, if for no other reason then the alternative is even more unbelievable."

Gustavo seemed to take it a little better when she worded it like that, but he still clearly wasn't buying it, "Is that so… Still, if for nothing other than your own safety, I implore you to keep your guard up. As genuine as the creature may seem, never forget that it is evil by nature."

This really frustrated her, 'Is he even listening to me? He's barely even spoken to him, he has no idea what he's talking about!'

She let the frustration dissipate away and gave a quiet sigh before speaking with a tired voice, "I'll keep that in mind, Gustavo. All I ask is that you keep an open mind."

He clearly noticed her change in tone, as he took on a far more serious expression, "I am just trying to look out for you, Neia. Never forget that that thing is different from us. It is something else entirely, something that does not understand or care for beings like us. Whatever you do, don't let yourself get caught up in its games, you likely won't live to tell about it if you do."

Neia grimaced, 'In one ear and out the other. At least he is saying this because he is concerned. If he was just trying to lecture me for the sake of it I'd probably get angry with him…'

Gustavo sighed as well, "Listen, I'm still here for you too. Just try to look out for yourself, alright?" He then reached out and gently squeezed her shoulder.

She was surprised by this sudden gesture, and she reflexively pulled back a little when he did so. He immediately pulled back his own hand and apologized profusely, "Sorry, sometimes I feel that I forget you are a girl. Haha…" Neia raised an eyebrow at this and he coughed awkwardly before adding, "I view you as a comrade before everything else, you know."

The awkwardness remained, but Neia appreciated the sentiment, "I feel the same way, Gustavo. Thank you." She looked back at the camp and saw that the paladins were finishing up the last bit of preparations, "It looks like it's almost time to go, I need to head back to the King. Stay safe, alright?"

"I will, same to you." Neia just nodded and gave a final wave before turning to walk back to the carriage.

For some reason she felt that she was going to have a much easier time with her new circumstances than Gustavo was with his, all she could do was try to help him along the way.

Ainz decided to just sit in the carriage and relax, he could have gone outside and looked around the camp, but he figured that would have been rather boring as well. Besides, he really didn't like how the paladins eyed him whenever he was in view.

'Well, Neia eyes me too, but it's not like she's trying to. I think I've done a fairly good job getting used to that. She has to adjust to looking at a terrifying undead monster every day, it'd be ridiculous if I couldn't handle something as simple as an odd look.'

He looked down at his skeletal hands and tried to imagine how his old human self would have dealt with seeing his new form, specifically his new form staring at him in a dark confined space like the carriage's interior. Needless to say, it wasn't a pretty picture.

'She definitely deserves some credit for being able to keep a straight face at that, I probably couldn't if I was in her position.'

He enjoyed thinking about simple things like that, but his mind inevitably looped back around to the bigger picture as it always did. The operations, the plans, the mistakes he has already made, the inevitable mistakes which will surely come in the future, the worrying amount of uncertainty which still hung over the whole thing…

These thoughts were far less enjoyable.

Ainz tried to relax while keeping a regal pose, but he just couldn't do it, and eventually he allowed himself to slump down into his seat with a sigh, 'It's funny, one could say that Neia has been doing better than me these last few days. She's made friends, she's survived an encounter with Shalltear, she's gained Sebas' approval, and the small mistakes she has made along the way are nothing in comparison to mine.'

Ainz figured that maybe that was just a problem with being a leader, an important leader, one whose actions mattered so much that they couldn't afford to make mistakes. Every little slip-up could turn into an absolute catastrophe, Neia would have experienced that firsthand if Shalltear was feeling a little more bloodthirsty than usual. Ainz's position meant that even an innocent slip of the tongue or plain forgetfulness could kill someone. He had to deal with that responsibility.

And now he was trying to take on even more, trying to take control of the monster he's made. At least when Demiurge was behind everything he could let the majority of the stress go to him, as selfish as that sounded. Now Ainz was tired, more so than ever before.

He wasn't physically tired, of course, but he was mentally drained. He still felt stress, and while it was markedly different than the feeling he had as a human, it still had a similar effect. It almost seemed like the harder he tried, the worse off he was in the end. It was maddening.

Ainz had hoped that maybe if he was just able to get things under his direct control then it would all become more manageable, that if he could just take the wheel then things would inevitably simplify.

He didn't want to admit it, but he was beginning to lose confidence.

Either way, it was too late to go back now. Demiurge was pure and unfiltered genius, but he had different priorities, yet another sin that Ainz had to answer for. He knew that if he let things continue as they were that this plan for world conquest would get out of hand. It already was out of hand. If he gave up, if he let things go on as they were, then there was a chance that someone he cared about would get seriously hurt because of it. He would never forgive himself if that happened, it would tear him apart.

There wasn't a choice, he had to do this, he had to find a way to make it work.

Still, he wasn't doing himself any favors. He knew that diving headfirst into Demiurge's latest scheme, taking on a secondary project, and working with a brand new subordinate all at the same time wasn't the best idea he ever had. But here he was, and once again, it was too late to go back.

Dealing with the scheme was easily his greatest source of stress. This was important, important to him and important to Nazarick. The pressure was immense, he simply couldn't mess this up, and while the consequences for failure were bad enough, the implications were worse. The simple truth was that if he was unable to do this, then he had no hope of getting everything else under his control, and that thought terrified him.

The rest was secondary, but it all added up. The propaganda program itself hadn't given him any problems. In fact, seeing Pandora's Actor finally spread his wings into something he could actually enjoy felt like a great weight being lifted off Ainz's back. While he knew that it would probably cause him some issues down the line it was fine for now. No, the stress from this project so far came exclusively from Neia.

Neia herself wasn't a problem, but Ainz knew he was putting in extra effort just so that things would work out for her. That's why he had to suffer through this morning's hour of boredom, and why he had gotten so stressed over the incident with Shalltear. None of that was Neia's fault though, Ainz chose to take on the extra burden, so he couldn't resent her for it.

No, all of this was his burden, and his alone. It was all his fault after all.

His need to maintain a false flawless persona, Demiurge's ambitions, all the work that's gone into conquering this world, all the pain he's caused the denizens by letting everything get out of hand, and the mess he was in right now trying to fix it… It was all just a cruel joke, a misunderstanding, but most importantly it was all his fault.

In the end everything came back to him, and there he was, sitting in the middle of it all. Alone, in a dark carriage. He stared into nothingness as his mind moved at a million miles an hour, but no matter how fast his mind was going everything else was just so much faster. He felt that if he stopped thinking about it all for even a moment, that some perfect answer would fly right past him, never to be seen again. No matter how much it pained him, he had to catch that solution.

It was hard, and it hurt, but if it was for the sake of Nazarick, for the memory of his friends, he would endure it.

And then, there was a gentle knock on the door.

AN: Another one down, hope you enjoyed it. I've had a rather hectic week and I expect the next couple weeks to be even crazier, but I quite like the rhythm we have here of one chapter a week. I will try my best to keep it up for you guys. As always, reviews and criticism are greatly appreciated. Until next time.