It was a fairly awkward time since most people were working during these hours, but her schedule was full of important meetings today, so nothing could be done about it.
This also allowed her to test the waters with times of day other than the late evenings, so it certainly wasn't all bad.
She was in her room now, looking herself over in front of the mirror.
Today, she was going to be wearing the Grand King's armour.
She was also slowly eating a pizza while getting dressed.
And then, a knock was heard on her door.
"Lady Baraja?"
It was a maid. She was here to see if Neia needed any help, and to see her off if she didn't. The carriage was already prepared outside.
"You may enter."
The maid did, and Neia could see her bowing through the mirror.
"Will you need any help, Lady Baraja?"
"Hmm, come look me over, does everything look good?"
The maid came close and tried her best to find any flaws with Neia's appearance.
"Everything looks to be in order, Lady Baraja."
"Hm, that's good. You can wait by the door."
The maid then glanced at the small table next to the mirror Neia was using, and saw the platter of food.
Her eyes seemed to widen for a bit.
"Uhm, Lady Baraja? Where did that food come from? What even is it?"
Neia panicked.
"W-what? Ah, that's nothing!"
She grabbed the platter and put it back into the chest, which she then locked.
The maid seemed a little stunned, as she's probably never seen Neia act like this.
Neia did her best to act like nothing was wrong.
"Let's go. I have a speech to make."
Today's speech was once again about the war in the now destroyed Re-Estize Kingdom.
She spoke of the last battle of the war. That the nobles murdered the prince in a cowardly attempt at redeeming themselves.
An unforgivable act considering the same nobles who provoked the war might've even been amongst them.
She spoke about how cowardice and betrayal were both grave sins.
She spoke about His Majesty's refusal to grant mercy to such sinners.
The audience was lesser in numbers than was usual, but this was only to be expected considering the time of day.
Still, the crowd was no less passionate.
Speeches were always her favourite.
All the good work she's done was always plainly in front of her, as seen by the sheer amount of people and their cheers.
It gave her hope.
For not only the world, but for herself.
Even if she had failed the Sorcerer King with her own weakness before, she could always rely on moving the hearts of the people.
As long as she could do that, she felt like she had a chance with him.
Neia was brought into a room within a local noble's home.
Inside was a round table around which several men seemed to be waiting for her in silence.
When they saw her, they stood and greeted her all at the same time.
"Lady Baraja."
She recognized most of the men here. They were nobles of varying status.
Those she remembers, she knows for their loyalty to the Holy King. And a few are even known followers of His Majesty.
She also believed at least one could sometimes be seen amongst the crowd during her speeches, surrounded by his men.
There was also Baron Alteryn, who previously contacted her in private about how to best serve the Sorcerer King, and be a good follower of the faith.
Knowing all this, it seemed she was surrounded by allies, and she could probably let her guard down just a little.
As the door closed behind her, she approached the only empty seat.
"Let us sit then."
They all sat down in unison, almost all of them looking at her.
"Then what is the purpose of this meeting, exactly?"
"Lady Baraja, we seek your counsel."
A man she did not recognize spoke.
Someone else then added onto his words.
"I'm sure you're aware of the rising tensions within the country, correct?"
She nodded, and her expression was sour.
"Yes, I'm afraid so..."
The current situation was indeed quite bad.
There were many things dividing the northern and southern Holy Kingdom. Things have always been this way, but everything has only been escalating since the demi-human invasion.
The south wanted one of their own to become Holy King, but in the end it was Caspond.
The south still holds onto the old religion, while the rest of the country, and especially the northern peninsula, was now dominated by Neia's faith.
The southern nobles have been especially angry at Neia now having a position pretty much identical to the High Priests of the past despite having a different religion, which they also saw as horrible heresy.
Much of this rage was also directed at Caspond, who seemed to support Neia.
"Lady Baraja, as High Priestess and representative of His Majesty the Sorcerer King, what can you tell us?"
"Does His Majesty have a plan?"
"Have you contacted him regarding this? And what about you?"
Several of the men said their questions in quick succession. She felt that she should answer honestly in this company.
"In truth, I have not discussed this in detail with His Majesty."
They were obviously uneasy now, but were still hanging onto her every word as she continued.
"I'd hoped we wouldn't have to involve His Majesty in the problems of this country ever again, especially an internal conflict like this. Still, I must admit even I am growing concerned. Should the situation show no signs of getting better, I will indeed have to consult His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown personally."
The men's faces betrayed a mix of relief and awe as she confirmed that she could indeed contact him when she wished. She probably rose in status in their eyes.
"I've also been considering ways to speak in other cities. Normally, my duties keep me here in the capital, preventing me from reaching those in other parts of the country. This is of course quite unfortunate, but me and my assistants have been working hard to give me the opportunity. Not that I don't trust my fellow preachers, but surely you understand it is different for me to come personally?"
The men nodded.
"Now, what about you? Is there anything in particular I should know? Any questions?"
The meeting went on for a bit longer after that, as she was updated on which noble houses and priests were opposed to them and other such details. It was quite a bit for her swallow, but she did her best to remember and make sense of it all. Her next date was in just a few short days, and she hoped to discuss the matter then.
Ainz sat in his office, waiting. He was reading the piece of paper in front of him, on which he recorded some simulations of the meeting.
He did his best to predict the questions he might be asked, and how the talk might generally go.
Knowing Demiurge, he was hardly confident in his preparations.
Finally, there was a knock on the door.
"Enter."
The demon he was waiting for arrived.
"Lord Ainz, I am sorry to have kept you waiting for so long."
Ainz had actually told him that he didn't need to come immediately, it just had to be within two weeks.
"Like I said, you didn't need to drop everything to see me."
"How could I keep the great Lord Ainz waiting?"
"Well, then let's get to it." Demiurge was now standing several steps in front of his table.
"Hm. This might be a longer discussion. Do you wish to sit?"
"There's no need for a servant to sit in his master's presence."
He sighed internally.
"I do not insist, but it's fine if that's your preference. Let's start properly, then. There are several things I wanted to ask you about. I already have some ideas in mind, but I feel your insight will be helpful."
"Surely I could not be that helpful if you already have plans of your own, Lord Ainz. But I will do my very best!"
"Good. Thank you. Now then, this is regarding the Holy Kingdom. I sought you out specifically because of your knowledge regarding that. First, summarise the current situation and how you wish to proceed."
He felt it might be a mistake to say that so bluntly.
"Everything seems to be going according to plan. That preacher girl you have provided has been doing excellent work in spreading her religion, furthering the divide between north and south."
He knew that much from speaking to her earlier.
"It seems that because of her, there will not be that much more interference needed for the civil war to start. Through careful use of Caspond Bessarez's body, I hope to kickstart it soon, sometime next year. Then, we will have the excuse to take over. Now, Lord Ainz, which part of this plan do you believe I am going to make mistakes in?"
"Huh?" He was grateful he did not let that sound actually escape his lips. It seemed like Demiurge had completely the wrong idea. "Ah, does he think my trust in him is so low that I'm trying to talk to him about mistakes he hasn't even made yet?"
"Demiurge. Though I have been too busy to look over every single detail of the plan, I have faith that you have not made any grave mistakes in your plans. I trust you and your judgement."
The demon made an uneasy expression.
"Instead, there was something else I wanted to discuss. I am not sure about how to approach it, but I believe the instability might decrease my fame, at least in the short-term. This could be a problem."
His expression now indicated he was paying very close attention. This made Ainz anxious, because he was bullshitting. In truth, he's just concerned about Neia.
She'd asked him how to handle the situation on her end, and he obviously couldn't just say something like "I don't know" or "deal with it yourself¨. If he wanted to keep her under the impression they had a romantic relationship, he had to do his best to alleviate her concerns.
"Specifically, I was thinking about that preacher. In order to ensure my popularity only continues to rise without any setbacks despite the situation, I want to prepare her. Perhaps direct instructions would be best. I will find a way to get them to her. It might make her and her followers more loyal, seeing that we are trying to support them in a difficult time. After all, showing my support ought to give them more zeal, no?"
Demiurge looked to be in awe.
"Yes, yes... The Sorcerer Kingdom interfering, but indirectly would not only embolden your followers, but also drive the other side to dislike you even more for meddling with internal affairs! Amazing, Lord Ainz! I failed to consider that approach! As expected of the leader of the Supreme Beings!"
He didn't even consider that at all. He just wanted to have something to say to Neia.
"Yes. How do you propose we execute this all, exactly?"
"I say that the currently present tensions won't be enough to support one side. We will have to wait for a specific event for which to condemn the south and praise your followers. Do you wish for me to orchestrate such a thing?"
He had his answer. He would just tell her that interfering directly right now would be seen as without provocation, and that he would observe the situation very closely instead. This probably wouldn't ease her concerns, but it was better than nothing.
"If you believe it will be profitable to do it sooner, then do it. If you believe we should wait, then wait. I will leave the details up to you. Just tell me when I will need to make my statement."
"Yes, Lord Ainz!"
"Now if that's all about that matter, there is something else I wanted to ask you."
"Yes!"
"Well, it's that there's several questions I have related to one topic."
It was the topic of resurrecting Neia's parents.
He's already thought about this more on his own, and seemed to always arrive at the conclusion that this was a bad idea. However, the benefits he would personally receive made him selfishly consider it despite that.
If he ever made a large enough mistake in dealing with Neia, he could use this as a saving grace. He thought that this gift will also let him abandon her for a prolonged period of time. She would have a lot to talk about with her parents after all, and their attention would most likely be a permanent weight off his shoulders, as she would have another source of affection in her life. Another permanent benefit was that in her eyes, he would not only be the saviour of herself and her country, but also the one who resurrected her parents, a third major reason to be loyal. With all this, he might one day be able to break up with her in a manner which made her remain loyal to him. If he deemed it ideal, he could even break up with her and have the parents be a parting gift, once again making her loyal to him despite a break up.
"First, have you been observing her at all? I am interested whether or not you think she is fully loyal to me, or if her effectiveness can be further increased."
Demiurge smiled.
"Of course, she is fully loyal to you, as you have yourself ensured! I am not sure her loyalty to you could deepen even more. And even if it could, I do not believe it would affect her effectiveness much. It would be diminishing returns at that point."
Ainz expected this sort of response. It didn't really help him regarding what was going on secretly between them.
"Do you believe there are multiple types of loyalty?"
Demiurge immediately looked like he was thinking very hard. If it was someone else, Ainz might let them think about it to see them grow. But he felt that Demiurge probably didn't need any mental exercise, so he continued speaking after a small delay. "For example, someone who is loyal out of fear might not be as valuable as someone who is loyal out of genuine respect. There is also loyalty out of friendship, love... The same people might make different choices depending on which type of loyalty they have. One who is only loyal because of fear might become enemies the moment they believe they stand a chance.
Neia might be a case of loyalty because of respect, specifically because she believes I've saved her country and herself. If she perceives anything we do in the future civil war as going against her country for selfish reasons, her loyalty might waver as she starts to lose one of the two reasons for her loyalty. She might start openly questioning our decisions, which we must avoid at all costs."
Ainz prepared the best arguments he could think of, but all he was really concerned with was their fake relationship.
Demiurge seemed to buy it, and spoke.
"As expected of Lord Ainz! I have only received reports, and so I have no way to judge her loyalty for myself. I am deeply sorry for that. But despite that, I believe being cautious is an excellent idea. What did you have in mind, Lord Ainz?"
It was time to potentially make himself into a fool.
"What about resurrecting her parents? I would have to talk to those who are capable of doing so later, but before that, what do you think? I'm already aware of many of the demerits, but tell me everything you can think of."
Demiurge once again looked away in deep thought.
"First would be the material costs of doing such a thing, and then there is the whole group of problems that is justifying this to the public.
Many may have lost their own loved ones, and some childish feelings of envy or jealousy could arise. This might affect the girl's ability to reach some people, but that doesn't seem like a very big concern. The biggest problem would be the public becoming aware of resurrections without a body. Particularly, your followers within the Holy Kingdom might start questioning why the Holy Queen was not resurrected. It could be justified by saying that you are primarily kind to only those who follow you, and that the Holy Queen dying was not a disaster because of Caspond being rescued, which is also something you did personally. In this case it would be better if Neia Baraja were to gain even more fame as someone who did great things, because then you could say it was a reward for her hard work. But making her a revered person in her own right would make it troublesome if she did end up speaking against us, but that might not be a concern at all if we do end up resurrecting her parents, which would be the goal in this instance anyway. We might also reduce her personal fame so she can easily be dismissed or taken care of if she speaks out against us, since the more fame she has the more her words are dangerous to us in case of insubordination.
Though it seems you were increasing her personal fame despite that, Lord Ainz. With the birthday speech, for example, so it seems you have judged this to not be as great of a concern.
Keeping her parents' resurrection a secret should be possible, but very cumbersome for the family's daily lives, so the main benefits could be diminished. She could also disagree with keeping such a thing a secret."
Indeed, it looked like both Demiurge and himself mostly thought of the same things. This gave him a bit of hope when it came to his own abilities, but also made him weary because it seemed there would be no miraculous solution.
This act would have many benefits but could have heavy drawbacks.
He would ponder the matter over the course of the following months.
"Demiurge, if you can't think of anything else right now, please return to your duties. I also wish for you to think about this matter further to see if there was anything we missed. And thank you for the suggestions. They really were helpful."
"I am unworthy of your praise, Lord Ainz!"
Neia was eating her dinner in her room. Next to her on the sofa was Shizu, who was laying down and drinking what Neia now knew was called chocolate milk. Today's dinner was a large plate separated into two halves. On one, there was simple white rice. On the other, there was a delicious, very watery sauce which was an orange-ish white in colour, and there were many small bits of very tender meat in it.
She wanted to say this was one of her favourite meals, but she could also say that about almost all of them. The burgers, the pizzas, the cakes, the french fries, the tortillas, the tea, the soups, the juices, the sodas, the pies, the spaghetti, the ice cream, the sushi...
Although she had some favourites, she didn't really have one single favourite, or even something like a top 5 list. If she had to pick one favourite, she'd have to lie.
It also seemed like Neia was constantly being sent new food as well.
Both today's dinner and breakfast were actually new to her. The breakfast was a kind of cereal with milk she's never had before, accompanied by a kind of juice she's never had before, apparently made from a fruit called holy pomegranate.
Much of what would likely be called her favourites are foods she has not even tasted yet. That idea was quite exciting.
As she was chewing, she heard Shizu whisper to herself.
"... Cute."
She turned to the maid demon, her mouth still full of sauce-infused rice and meat.
Shizu was sipping her drink and staring at her shamelessly.
Neia sped up her chewing and when her mouth was empty, she spoke.
"Shizu? Did you say something just now?"
"... Nothing."
Neia sighed, just a little.
"Are you mad about me eating after all?"
Shizu has assured her that it was fine.
"... No... Please continue..."
"Fine, then! But you can't complain if you've already told me it's fine!"
Neia went back to her food. Since her train of thought from earlier was derailed, her thoughts went back to the thing troubling her. The Sorcerer King had told her that he'd discussed the matter at length with his subordinates, who were monitoring the situation in the Holy Kingdom, and it seemed quite bad. He'd predicted that it will be very hard to win the south over.
He's also assured her that he will personally try his best to amend the matter from within the Sorcerer Kingdom, without interfering in internal affairs. But the last thing he told her was that she will be one of the most important people in ensuring peace. He wanted her to do her best and travel to other places and do more work with the church there.
This made her very happy. He still trusted her.
She still had a chance.
All she needed to do was not fail now.
She had to travel around and calm the situation down by convincing people in other parts of the country.
As long as she succeeded in that, it was all fine.
This was her chance to redeem herself in his eyes.
Neia finished her food and looked at Shizu, who was still staring and sipping her chocolate milk. Shizu was never talkative, so this is mostly what today and yesterday looked like.
Yesterday, when she arrived, Neia showed her around and introduced her to the servants.
Shizu really appreciated Neia's mansion being full of symbols of the Sorcerer Kingdom and paintings of His Majesty. Back then, she said something like "... Not as impressive as in person.", to which Neia agreed enthusiastically.
Nothing was like seeing His Majesty in person, which is a truly divine experience. Overall, Shizu's emotions were very hard to read, but seemed to be almost the same throughout the entire visit. Neia could only understand how Shizu felt because she was already her friend, but Shizu really did seem to be enjoying herself here.
Unfortunately, the visit was only meant to be two days long, and so today is the last day. As Neia was getting up to put the dishes back in the chest, she spoke.
"So, are you busy in the Sorcerer Kingdom?"
"... I suppose... But I like working under Lord Ainz..."
"Of course! Everyone should be! I'm sure he's been a great master to you, right?"
"... Yes."
Neia finished locking up the chest and moved to sit down again.
"What kinds of duties do you perform, anyway?"
"... Maid stuff... secret stuff..."
"Huh? Maid work?!"
"... Yes. I'm a maid."
Neia never really thought that someone would use these powerful demons as maids.
They were maid demons, but it just seemed too silly.
Was there something special about their abilities as maids?
Did they enjoy maid work?
"Maid work, huh. Is it fun? I would think someone as powerful as you would be used for something... different."
"... Lord Ainz is already wise and powerful... has many subordinates... there's no wars right now... I don't have to fight..."
That's right, the war between the Sorcerer and Re-Estize Kingdoms was something of an exception. Normally, the Sorcerer Kingdom was a very peaceful place protected by legions of extremely powerful undead controlled by His Majesty.
Knowing this, it seemed reasonable that the more valuable subordinates wouldn't have to fight very often at all. The other interesting thing was the "secret stuff".
It was probably some simple things that still had to be kept secret because of their nature, but she was still curious.
"Shizu, you'll have to leave soon, right?"
"... Mm."
"Did you enjoy yourself here? I hope I was a good host."
"... Mm... It was good here... I hope to visit again..."
Neia was very happy to hear that.
She cared about her friend deeply.
She was one of the few people she had.
Well, maybe that wasn't true with all the members of her faith, but that's a bit different.
The people she truly cared about were now scarce.
That list basically just included His Majesty and Shizu.
She was certainly friendly with her servants which she saw every day, but the loss of her parents and childhood friends was still a painful wound.
After the two friends hugged and said their goodbyes, Neia went back to work. She did her best to work as little as possible while Shizu was around, but now there was a lot for her to do.
She intended to leave the capital, and travel around the country to preach her word elsewhere. She wanted to make the announcement tomorrow, during a speech concerning the situation.
She wouldn't outright talk about the tensions which were the primary motivation, but she would talk about how important it was to her that all knew of the Sorcerer King's glory and kindness. That all knew he was justice.
Her not being in the capital to make speeches herself was fine at this point, as other preachers she appointed were already doing great work for a while now.
The primary concern was the boring parts.
There were many things to be organised and arranged for. She was making some good progress, however.
For example, she'd already assembled the people who would be accompanying her on the journey.
They were paladins. This was almost certainly going to add validity to her words in the more troublesome areas of the country.
Seeing the paladins, a symbol of peace and justice in her country, accompany her would hopefully dispel some prejudice, making the people keep an open mind.
There was also the matter of the delivery of food to her, which would have to be quite a bit more complicated now that she wouldn't have one single permanent residence. Still, she was determined to ensure the success of this operation. His Majesty himself had told her that he trusted her to amend the situation.
The pride she took in being a good servant was immense, and she would do anything to not fail.
Indeed, failure was unacceptable.
She'd already failed once before, and now had to be fed by His Majesty because of her sinful weakness.
She couldn't mess it all up again.
Not this time.
She was going to be someone His Majesty could be proud of.
She was going to be someone worthy of his love.
Neia received quite a big send-off at the capital.
Great crowds of people had gathered at the gates and throughout the streets.
It seemed she was quite popular these days.
It wasn't just that her words had reached the people, but it was also specifically her that they admired.
To them, she was a representative of His Majesty's will and a great hero who fought to save the country.
That event during her birthday had also probably helped quite a bit in kickstarting her own fame. Being directly and personally praised by him seems to have turned the attention to her.
As she looked out of the window of her carriage, she was waving back to all the people who were themselves waving enthusiastically and smiling.
"Good luck, Lady Baraja!"
"Goodbye, Lady Baraja!"
"Please stay safe!"
"Spread word of His Majesty, Lady Baraja!"
"Lady Baraja!"
She waved back for minutes on end, until they had left the city and there was no one else to wave back to.
Her hands and forearms hurt a bit at that point.
Making sure the blinds were closed, she looked patiently at the open chest facing her inside the carriage. Very soon, a servant of His Majesty would teleport inside and deliver her lunch.
Since she was going to be travelling for quite a bit now, her carriage was decided as the place to make these deliveries.
When she'd arrive at a new settlement and receive new temporary accommodation, the place would have to change again, and there was a new process which would be used to deliver information such as this.
She looked beside her, to what looked like an empty seat.
She couldn't see anything herself, but she knew there was someone there.
A male voice was heard speaking from that direction, almost right next to her.
"Is there something you need, Lady Baraja?"
The whole situation unnerved her a bit, but it was His Majesty's idea and servant, so there was nothing to worry about.
"Ah, it's nothing. Don't mind me."