She had just given a rather passionate speech about the shipments of aid they've been receiving from the Sorcerer Kingdom.
The crowd still chanted "Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown! Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!" in the background.
The great roar of the voices was a testament to the constant growth her organization was experiencing.
If one wanted to ask more specifically about the contents of the speech from just now, one could summarize it by saying it was about His Majesty's kindness and the importance of being thankful.
And that they needed to work hard.
Something like that.
The speech was already done, and so Neia was now thinking about what awaited her tonight.
Another date with His Majesty.
She was too tired to blush right now, however.
Then, she heard steps heading towards her, until they stopped near her head.
"Here, Lady Baraja."
She looked up to see Bertrand, probably her most trusted assistant, who was holding a wet towel.
"Ah, thank you."
She used it to wipe the sweat from her face while cooling down at the same time.
"Will there be anything else?"
"I don't think so. It's time to leave for the mansion."
As she got up to leave, she handed him the towel back.
Even now, there were cheers coming in from the outside.
Neia was now standing near where the Sorcerer King had teleported into her room before, and was waiting to see if he arrived at the exact same spot again.
He did so, and right on time. She knelt immediately.
"Hello, Neia. Please rise."
"Greetings, Your Majesty!"
He went to place the platter of food down on the table.
She thought to herself as she saw this. "Looks like I won't be eating for a while after today... again."
He then sat down, and so did she.
She found that she unknowingly sat down a bit closer than was probably polite at this point, so she backed away a bit.
"Neia, how have you been since our last meeting?"
It was a rather standard two weeks for her. More speeches, more paperwork, more meetings, more organizing, more archery training...
"I am very happy to say that the number of your followers has been rising greatly!"
"Is that so? Neia, I am glad to have you doing all this work. I really appreciate it."
"There is no need, Your Majesty! I am simply speaking the truth of your glory!"
"I see. Was there anything else?"
"Not really, things are still chaotic, but some people can now live in some normalcy, at least in the capital."
"That's good. Hm."
After a moment of silence, he spoke again. His tone seemed to have an almost unnoticeable hint of excitement.
"Do you wish to try on those dresses now, or is there something you wish to do first?"
"It's fine. I have no preference."
"Well, then."
He got up from the sofa and walked over to a place with more room. She followed. Even though she only followed behind him for a moment, it immediately felt like those days as his squire, when she'd spent the whole day trailing him like this.
Then, he reached into nothing, and pulled out a purple cloth.
Outstretching it with both his hands, she could now see what it really was.
It was an immaculate dress which was mostly purple, except for several golden patterns stitched into it in prominent places. It had golden buttons that if fully buttoned up, would cover one's neck. The sleeves were short.
It looked priceless.
She didn't really have any expectations, but this was certainly unexpected.
"Is that really for me to wear, Your Majesty?!"
He chuckled a bit as he answered.
"Hm? Of course, that's why I brought it, no? There's three others."
Knowing that changing would take a while, she wanted to not waste any time. This was time taken off their date, after all.
"Uhm, very well! I'll change immediately, then!"
He looked around the room for a bit, and then looked back to Neia before speaking in a confused tone.
"I see a mirror, but where is something to cover you while changing?"
"Ah, no! I trust Your Majesty completely that you would not peek if I request that you do not do so! Not that I would request such a thing! Your Majesty is free to watch!"
She felt maybe she was being a bit too bold in a way which bordered on rudeness. Maybe this was a mistake?
She wasn't really trying to make any advances herself, but she felt that not being open to anything right away might be seen as an insult.
Emotional suppression had kicked in.
Was this girl really serious?
Her advances were far too quick!
Was this expected?!
He did not have any experience with dating, but it all seemed to go so fast in this world!
Perhaps it was his fault for not clarifying any details in regards to when certain milestones would be reached?
Yes, he would have to do that. Right now was probably a good time.
"Neia."
She seemed to wince with fear as he spoke.
"While I understand that you are excited to take our relationship further, I'm afraid you'll have to wait. I must say, you have picked a difficult target to court."
"Ah, no! Uhm... I am not trying to make advances! Rather, I am trying to not keep you from doing so! In this instance, it would be rude to hide myself because you might want to watch! The pace of everything depends entirely on Your Majesty, which is why I am simply trying to keep every door open!"
"Ah. Uhm, is that so?"
"Yes!"
"Well, what I said still applies. Things will not be moving that fast. Please do understand that I am a bit harder to seduce than your average human."
"Of course!"
"Now, if that's that, perhaps you should change now? And no, I have no intention of peeking."
"Yes!"
The purple dress fit her perfectly and comfortably, and His Majesty said he was satisfied with it.
The same went for a gaudy red dress decorated with both gold and silver buttons and other accessories.
The same then went for a black and white dress with intricate patterns weaved into it. The white parts had black patterns and vice versa. It had long sleeves which fit her with a comfortable level of tightness.
The last dress was no exception. It was pure white with golden patterns and decorations.
And with that, she was to keep all the dresses for now.
They were all also enchanted with various things, like not being able to get dirty. Though from the way the Sorcerer King had phrased it, she wasn't sure if that was its own enchantment or the side effect of having several other powerful enchantments. Though none of them seemed like anything Neia would need to use.
Still, having more priceless things to look after was scary.
"Your Majesty, you had said that you had methods to find magic items, right?"
"Are you concerned about these items being somehow lost or stolen? Please do not worry. I do have such methods."
A weight was lifted off her shoulders.
"Then, Neia... since you are already wearing this white dress, why don't you keep it on? It fits you quite well."
She blushed and smiled.
"Yes!"
"Ah, and perhaps you should eat your pizza slices before they get cold."
He sat down as he spoke.
He was probably referring to the things on the platter.
As she moved closer to them and sat down, she found that they were all some sort of bread-like base which then had different things layered on top. There was a red sauce which smelled like that of the burgers, and then there was cheese. Every single slice differed from that point onward. Some had mushrooms and ham, some had salami, some had vegetables.
She felt uneasy about eating. She knew how she'd feel for the next few days about normal food.
But still, she felt like she couldn't help herself.
He looked at Neia from the side as she was eating.
She seemed a bit uneasy for some reason, but he decided to ignore that for now. She would probably tell him if there was a problem. Right?
Either way, since she was CZ's friend and also important for Demiruge's plans, he would have to keep her around for a long time. Maybe forever. Would CZ be sad if Neia died of old age?
There was the concern of her speaking against him at some point if she was ever deeply unsatisfied with their relationship, but CZ would probably want her dead too if that ever happened.
It would still probably be trouble to kill her off if she continued getting more popular, but it was probably not going to be a particularly big problem.
And so, he will bet everything on making her too loyal for that to even happen in the first place. This will indeed include raising her own fame. If she feels that she also owes him her friends and followers, it is another thing to make her more loyal.
She then looked to him, clutching her belly.
"Ahhh... I'm full for now..."
She hoped she wasn't being too un-ladylike.
The Sorcerer King observed her in silence for a time before speaking.
"So, Neia. Your birthday will come in just a few days, correct?"
Neia was both surprised and quite happy that he remembered such a thing.
She didn't even exactly remember when she told him. It seemed the business of her new life made her a little forgetful and distracted. She was still adjusting to it all.
"Yes, that's exactly right, Your Majesty!" As she said that, she also wondered if there was any particular reason he mentioned that.
"Ah, then what sort of gift would you like?"
Oh no.
"Your Majesty, there is no need!"
"Oh? Would you not give birthday gifts to those close to you?"
Him outright saying that they were close made her blush. Still, she had to refuse.
"I would, but not if they refused!"
She felt like she was being a little rude and regretted those words, but the Sorcerer King laughed.
"Haha! I see. And are you going to refuse?"
It felt a bit bad, but she ought to.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Well, if that is what you wish."
It seemed a bit strange how he relented this time. Normally, he'd insist until she simply had to take whatever he was offering, like with the Ultimate Shooting Star Super, or the dresses just now, or Grand King Buser's armour and the other items. This made her a bit confused, but she didn't mind. It seemed like that was that, at least until he spoke again.
"Then how about I give a gift to your people?"
She widened her eyes in surprise.
"Haha, don't look at me like that. If you truly do not wish for any gift, how about I instead give one to my followers?"
"W-what did you have in mind, Your Majesty?"
"Hm. I will make an appearance, and briefly speak. Just a few words. My appearance ought to impress, no?"
It seemed like a good idea. She couldn't find any problem with it, other than that she would have a lot of organizing to do.
"I see. I believe that is the case. Everyone should be impressed, yes. But... what about the announcement?"
"Hm, there will be no need for an announcement. It will be a surprise. In the future, knowing that such a thing might happen at any time might attract even more visitors than you would receive otherwise." "Still, what about the people who will feel unlucky that they managed to miss you? People who attend almost every day, but who just happened to be busy."
"Well, it can't be helped. Such people would exist even if my arrival was announced, after all. There would be many who would wish to make it, but couldn't. Such a thing cannot be eliminated with an announcement."
"Yes... I see. And what is it that you will talk about in your speech, Your Majesty?"
"Hm. I haven't really decided yet."
He said this in a strange tone which made her doubt that he was telling the truth.
She immediately felt bad about doubting him, however. It was rude to do so.
A few days after, Neia's birthday came.
Today, the Sorcerer King would appear during her speech. She had told a few trusted people so that they could have the privilege of making sure to watch, but it was otherwise a well-kept secret.
Neia looked herself over in the mirror. A maid helped her do so, and they found no flaws.
It seemed she was ready. The people were still gathering in the plaza outside when the Sorcerer King had teleported almost right on top of them.
"Your Majesty!" Neia exclaimed as both her and the maid next to her started to kneel.
He had to somewhat awkwardly take a step back before addressing them.
"Rise. Now, Miss Baraja. Is everything ready?"
He spoke to Neia while the maid looked at him in amazement. This particular one had only ever seen him once before, and it was from a distance.
"Yes, I am ready and the people are starting to arrive."
"Ah, good. Let's wait a bit longer than usual, to allow some people who may have arrived a little late."
Neia felt it was a somewhat strange sentiment, to keep the people waiting so that a few more would have the chance to arrive. Still, those people would have probably been very bitter if they missed his appearance by only a few minutes, so she understood well enough.
"Also, take this."
It was some sort of enchanted ring, and didn't look particularly expensive.
"This is a magic item that will make your voice significantly louder. Let's make sure they all hear us clearly, no?"
Neia agreed, though she felt a bit uneasy because she had not practiced with the item before.
Still, she understood exactly how to use it once she put it on, just like other magic items. That ought to be enough.
Neia was just about to head onto the podium.
She looked behind her, only to see nothing. His Majesty had just made himself invisible so she could dramatically announce his presence.
The idea of invisible things scared her a little bit, so she pressed on.
The crowd, which numbered in the thousands, erupted into cheers as they saw her.
She waved and smiled at them, which made them cheer even more.
Reaching her spot near the center, she spoke a bit cautiously to get a feel for the magic which made her voice louder.
"Hello! I welcome you all! I am so happy to see so many people here! Thank you for coming, everyone!"
The crowd cheered again.
"Now, today is a very special day!"
She could feel the expectations and surprise taking hold of the crowd. There weren't any special holidays today, so they must have wondered what else she could mean.
"I hope the people who have not made it here today do not grow sad or angry! There is no need to feel such things! This is not the only time today's event will repeat itself!"
The crowd was now clearly hanging onto her every word, wondering what she was talking about.
"It is because today, I am not here alone."
The crowd was now desperate for a release. What was she building up? What was she talking about? She could feel exactly what the crowd was thinking due to her daily experience with it.
"I present to you none other than the saviour of our country, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown!"
She looked behind her, and he suddenly appeared.
She now thought that if he wanted to make the crowd hate her, he could have stayed invisible. That would be an utterly cruel prank.
Still, those thoughts were completely drowned out by the sheer intensity of the crowd's thunderous cheers.
His Majesty flew above the podium now, so that all could see.
He lifted his hands into the air, and the crowd was utterly ecstatic.
The cheering actually went on for what she estimated was about a whole minute.
Finally, His Majesty stopped it with his words.
"Greetings, everyone. Thank you for coming here."
This just made the crowd cheer again.
"Let's calm down now. I am here for a reason, after all."
A reason? She knew that he was here to impress the people, but why would he phrase it like that? Or was there something else?
"You, my followers. I am truly flattered to see how many of you are here. How many of you there are in total. It makes me very happy."
The crowd was quiet, but very emotional.
"I want to thank you all for your support. I am truly grateful... But in the end, there is one person without which much of this wouldn't be possible. Someone very important. A valued and capable servant whom I greatly appreciate."
Oh? Who was he talking about? A thought appeared in her head. Could it be-
"And it is this person's birthday."
Ah!
"And her name is Neia Baraja!"
She blushed. Valued and capable servant? Those words warmed her heart.
"Now, I understand she speaks mostly of my feats, but what about her own? What about when she helped retake the fortress city of Kalinsha? Why don't you tell us all about that, Miss Baraja?"
What followed was her retelling a story she'd already told several times before, but not nearly as much as the other stories, those about His Majesty.
Except this time, the Sorcerer King was right there, and made sure to praise her and make her achievements seem even more impressive.
She was quite nervous, and not really herself. Still, the crowd did not seem to mind, if they even noticed.
At the end, a strange mix of gloom and positivity overtook everyone as His Majesty left.
She didn't really remember his parting words. Her mind was completely exhausted by that point.
Right now, she was laying on the sofa in the backstage, failing her struggle not to fall asleep due to sheer exhaustion.
Just a little nap should be fine...