Soon, she would beg for forgiveness again.
He was so kind to her.
Would he understand?
If she were to look past the blinds covering the windows, she'd see a land he saved from destruction.
When she looked at herself, she saw someone who would be dead if it were not for him. She saw someone who owed everything to His Majesty.
Did she deserve his trust?
Did she deserve anything he'd given her?
Did she really deserve his love?
She just failed for the second time.
Just then, he appeared in front of her. She didn't feel ready. But more time probably wouldn't have helped anyway.
"Your Majesty."
She fell to one knee.
"Hello Neia. Rise, please."
She did as he said.
He then sat down, but she didn't.
"Hm? Is there a problem, Neia?"
"Your Majesty... I failed. That city... I was forced to leave for my own safety. The people there have not accepted you..."
She managed to say the whole thing without breaking down in tears, unlike last time with her food addiction.
She could not read his expression, and he did not move at all hearing this.
"Yes, I was made aware."
She lowered her head.
"I'm sorry."
"Ah, no need to apologise. It can't be helped. I know you did your best. I trust that you did."
His tone was completely normal and casual. She looked up at him.
"Are you going to sit down? There's no need to stand."
"A-aren't you disappointed, Your Majesty?"
"Hm? Oh, not at all. I am very grateful for everything you've been doing, Neia. I am happy I have you."
He was just being so kind again.
Did she really deserve it?
A part of her honestly expected this outcome.
She thought he'd be at least disappointed, but he still says things like that despite her failure.
Her tears were now flowing freely.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
He really did value her.
He really did care.
Ainz felt a bit bad.
Clearly she was fully expecting to succeed, which is why she's acting like this is such a big deal.
Should he have pointed this out to her before? That he didn't expect her to really do much? "Ah! I just realised that I let her cry while I'm just sitting here! What kind of boyfriend am I?"
He got up and hurried to comfort her.
"Come on. It's fine, Neia. You did nothing wrong. I'm here."
He wasn't sure what to say, so he tried to say some vague things while sounding like he was talking to an injured animal.
She hugged him tightly. He thought that it might be strange for her, since he had no body heat, and was just some bones.
Still, she seemed to enjoy it for whatever reason.
He could understand that Shalltear and Albedo weren't exactly all right, since one had so many kinks and one had her settings messed with. It was more easily understood in their cases.
But a regular human from this world hugging a skeleton was kind of strange.
Or maybe Neia was also kind of kinky, like Shalltear?
Maybe the resurrection messed with her after all, or maybe seeing so many corpses and death in the war had awakened something strange.
Or maybe she'd love him regardless of his form?
He had time to think about worthless things when she hugged him.
The hugs were quite long and boring, but not long enough to allow for anything more than idle thoughts, and so he simply let his mind wander.
Still, this was a pretty long hug.
"Your Majesty, you are too kind to me."
"Oh? Well you don't want me to be less kind, do you?"
She laughed at his lame comment.
"I truly love you, Your Majesty."
He did not respond, feeling like almost any response would be bad. It was far too early for something like "I love you too". He was saving that lie for later.
Instead, he moved his hand to stroke her head, while her face was still buried in the folds of his robe.
He really did prefer not having to look at those eyes. She was far easier to deal with like this.
Even if she was hugging him, it wasn't so bad.
Her hugs weren't lustful and trying to build up to something else, like Shalltear and Albedo's usually were. They were honest, in a way, so they didn't bother him.
But damn this hug was long.
He sometimes thought about showing Neia to the other Floor Guardians and maids. While he had concerns due to the nature of their relationship, he thought it might positively affect them overall.
Neia was CZ's friend, and they hung out together. In fact, they'd hang out again very soon.
He wanted to send the message to the others that it was possible and perfectly okay to make friends with the inhabitants of this world.
And Neia will probably just be impressed by Nazarick and all the powerful people. Something like that. Neia seemed easy enough to impress, though it might make her feel stressed to meet many people at once. After all, Suzuki Satoru remembered having to exchange introductions with all the people he'd be working with, all at once.
He'd try to figure something out later.
It seemed Neia was slowly pulling away.
He did the same, expecting her to say something, but now she just stood there, their bodies almost touching, but not quite, and she was just looking at him.
Her eyes were reddened from all the crying, and her expression seemed to be a combination of happiness and defeat, with a weak smile and tired eyes.
It took some time before she spoke again.
"Thank you for your forgiveness. I'm not sure I deserve it, but I'm very happy, Your Majesty. So happy..."
"You deserve everything I've given you and more, Neia."
She smiled harder.
"I don't think I can ever thank you enough, however."
"You already have. I'm proud of everything you've done. I'm proud to have you as my servant."
A pleasant silence filled the room.
Ainz enjoyed it, honestly. His words from earlier had some small amount of truth to them. But he had to interrupt it eventually.
"Neia, would you mind if our next date was something a bit different? There are some people I want to introduce you to."
There was a massive welcome party at the capital.
It's been months since she was last here, and it seemed even more lively than she remembered.
The contrast between here and that dreadful city was immense.
She was happy for every single person who came to cheer her on and celebrate her return.
She wanted to thank them all one by one, but such things weren't possible.
The people did not seem to have just gathered at the gates. She's seen crowds all the way up to her mansion, where the staff was waiting outside.
She stepped outside her carriage, happy to finally be home.
Outside, it was her head assistant, Bertrand, who greeted her first.
"Lady Baraja! I am so glad to see you are safe! His Majesty's words had us so worried!"
Neia's eyes widened in surprise, though no one could see because of her visor.
"W-what? His Majesty spoke to you?"
He didn't say he would do anything like that.
"To us? No, he gave a speech earlier."
Bertrand spoke as if it was something Neia should have obviously known.
"Huh?!"
"You didn't know, Lady Baraja?!"
"What? No! What- what happened? What did he say?!"
"He spoke about how you had to flee for your own safety from a city in the south! And how you were doing great work spreading word of him! And that he was proud of you, and then he asked us all to give you a proper welcome. He also said that he had to officially condemn the violence and hostility the southerners engaged in.
Finally, he opened some sort of portal and several men in armour came and delivered barrels of food, telling us to feast in your honour when you arrived!"
Neia's head was spinning. It was like her birthday all over again.
Why was any of this fame being directed at her? This wasn't her goal, but His Majesty seemed determined to make her a celebrity in her own right.
Honestly, she had to admit it did feel good, however.
Especially considering how her trip ended.
Now, she was just happy to be back.
It was the day after Neia's return. Her mansion had a room specifically for important meetings, which is where she now was.
The wooden walls and furniture were covered with intricate carvings, and various symbols of the Sorcerer Kingdom decorated the room. In the centre, there was a large table with many chairs around it.
Neia sat at the head of the table, in the seat of honour. Next to her were two advisors, and the other seats were occupied by her informants.
The informants' task was to observe public opinion. How exactly her speeches were spoken about in taverns, how her followers interacted with those who still kept the old faith, and many other things.
If she was to do the best she could, she needed to know how her words and actions were received, and how she needed to adjust them.
This was the first meeting since her return, and so there was a lot to go over.
One man stood up. First, they would summarise the situation in her absence in very general terms. They could go over specific details later.
The man, who was the only one standing, took a glance at the stack of papers in front of him one more time before speaking.
"Following your departure, much of the city felt somewhat gloomy, similar to when His Majesty himself had left for the first time."
She was happy and grateful to know her people appreciated her, but it was a great responsibility.
She still did not know if she deserved such popularity, and even if she ignored that, she was sad that she made some people unhappy by making them miss her.
"The other speakers performed as expected, and their attendance numbers increased by roughly the same number of people who would otherwise attend your speeches. After the large statue of His Majesty was finished, many people started coming to admire and pray to it each day."
She had not seen the statue yet, but it made her uneasy. The statues near the gates of the Sorcerer Kingdom's capital were gigantic masterworks. In comparison, the plans for their statue were not nearly as large, and their craftsmen couldn't create anywhere near the same amount of detail.
Hopefully His Majesty won't be mad or disappointed at such a portrayal of himself.
Earlier he told her it'd be fine without even looking at the plans, so she was uncertain. Perhaps he refused to look at them because thought they'd make a statue of similar size or quality? She tried to explain that its quality might displease him, but he dismissed her back then.
Her thoughts were interrupted as the man continued speaking.
"In general, the people were also concerned for your safety, Lady Baraja. There was some small-scale panic when His Majesty suddenly appeared and told the city you had to flee for your life."
She was once again happy that the people cared about her, but she didn't want to worry them, either.
Just then, another man stood up.
"There is something I have to add in regards to that, if I may, Lady Baraja!"
He looked to Neia, who nodded.
"Seeing that you have returned safely, the people's worry seems to be turning into rage. Yesterday after your arrival, there was an unidentified man speaking to a large crowd. He said that their treatment of you was unacceptable, that trying to threaten and hurt the prophet amounted to an attack on them and their faith. The crowd cheered this on."
"I see. Thank you. Please do sit if that's all."
This was bad. She did not want any hostilities. The goal was to make peace and slowly make the south see His Majesty's glory. If things escalated, it would be very hard considering the already present divide between north and south.
The still standing man who spoke first looked toward Neia, waiting for permission to speak again.
"Please continue."
"Yes! Yesterday, the barrels of food His Majesty provided were used to create a feast celebrating you and your safe return. The people seem very excited to hear you speak again and tell them all about your journey."
"I see. Thank you for the report."
She waited for the man to sit down before continuing.
"Then it's time to talk about the details, then. If some of the people are angry at the southerners, I intend to extinguish their wrath. We cannot hope to appeal to them if the hostilities continue."
The men in the room all looked at each other with unease.
She was confused as to why, until Bertrand spoke.
"Lady Baraja... perhaps such a notion is far too hopeful?"
"What do you mean?"
He looked like he did not want to be in this situation, like a messenger who would have to deliver bad news. That look reminded her of how she felt dealing with the late Remedios.
"Lady Baraja, things just look very bad right now. Perhaps it still won't be anytime soon, but we have to consider how these hostilities might end."
"How they might end?"
"We fear the country might split."
Neia understood this, of course. But were they really giving up so easily?
They sat in silence, awaiting her response.
She inhaled deeply before speaking in a kind, understanding tone.
"I understand your worries, of course. I understand exactly what you mean. But..."
She stood up, and now her tone was one of determination.
"His Majesty personally entrusted this matter to me. The country must stand united and proud. That is what His Majesty wishes for us. He trusts in me. And I will not fail him. It would be sin to fail a task given by him personally."
Everyone in the room looked at her with pure respect. She once again bluntly stated that she was the messenger of their God.
One of the men lowered his head, and spoke forcefully.
"Of course, Lady Baraja! We will do our best!"