Recently, they had passed the destroyed great wall which separated the Holy Kingdom from the demi-human plains.
"Hm. Miss Baraja, how close are we to our destination?"
"We will be taking a route which will make us harder to discover, so I believe it should be tomorrow, or perhaps the day after that."
"Is that so..."
The Sorcerer King looked outside the window for a little while. She was staring again, thinking about how cool he was.
"Hmm." He turned to her with a noise which indicated he was thinking about something.
"Perhaps I should give you this..." With those words, he reached into his robe and pulled out something which could not have possibly fit in there.
A large, incredible-looking bow. It looked like it might've been a national treasure of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
As Neia's awe regarding the bow faded somewhat, she thought about His Majesty's words. "Wait... give it to me? Wait! Huh?"
"This is the Ultimate Shooting Star Super. It was created with the ancient art of runecraft, though the runes themselves have faded with time, their power remains. I wish for you to defend me with this."
She scrambled to say something, anything.
"B-but Your Majesty! I am a mere squire! How could I be entrusted with such a weapon, the treasure of another kingdom?!"
"This? I have several similar bows. Even if I didn't, it's fine if you return afterward, no? As my squire, you should be well equipped to protect me."
She could not refute his words, and so she had to accept the responsibility. Even if the idea that she could protect him in a real dangerous situation was obviously
stupid, this was how it would be.
"Yes, Your Majesty. I humbly accept this great weapon!"
She grabbed it with shaking hands. Just holding it felt wrong.
She now had to make sure this weapon never left her hands again. It was entrusted to her. By him.
If someone were to steal it or if she were to damage it, would she have to pay back the cost of the weapon? Thinking about that made her tummy hurt.
...
The base of the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army was a natural cave. It was spacious enough for the carriage to enter without problem. Inside, most things were wooden furniture made of the trees from the surrounding area. Light was provided by large mushrooms which grew from the cave walls. There were about 350 people here. About 190 paladins, 70 priests, and 90 commoners. Due to the Sorcerer King's arrival, everyone scrambled to clear out one of the large rooms where many people slept, so that he could have his own room. They also hung up a borrowed flag of the Sorcerer Kingdom.
While this was all happening, Neia and His Majesty were still just sitting in the carriage.
And then, he spoke. "Have your people been properly hiding your tracks this whole time? Surely it would be a problem if this place was discovered."
They did not have the ability to properly do such things. Neia felt uneasy answering.
"No, Your Majesty. We have not been able to do that. But in that case, shouldn't we have already been attacked along the way?"
"Hm. Perhaps the enemy is not thinking that way. Let's see... forgive me for such a comparison, but if your home was infested with rats, would you hunt them all down individually, or wait until they all gathered in one place? Though your operatives might be in all sorts of places, this place might be attacked in the future if they believe there are enough of you here at once."
"I see! Should we discuss this with the Captain?"
"Yes, let's do so immediately."
"Don't you want to rest first, Your Majesty? Surely you are exhausted after the long journey."
"Hm? What do you mean, exactly? I am undead, and cannot feel tired."
Neia sort of forgot about that. Her idea of an undead was still a filthy, creepy monster, and so she struggled to put the Sorcerer King in that category as well.
"Ah I suppose I meant... mental fatigue?"
Just then, someone knocked on the door of the carriage.
"Your Majesty, we have prepared a room for you!"
Neia stepped outside first. As the paladin saw her holding the bow, he seemed quite shocked. She did not pay it much attention, and bowed towards the carriage, waiting for the Sorcerer King to dismount.
...
Walking through the cave towards where they would find Captain Remedios, she found the light of the mushrooms a little creepy. The blue-ish white made her look like a corpse, especially with her eyes. Though she minded this less than before, for some reason.
As they walked, most people they passed by just gawked at His Majesty, some quite shamelessly as well. She started to feel angry at them. "Isn't this all very rude?!"
She looked at the Sorcerer King. She could not tell what he felt like because of his expression, but she was quite afraid, in a way. The calmest and kindest people tended to also be the scariest when they got angry.
She then saw him produce some sort of paper and read it. She could not see what was written on it as she walked behind him. As they were arriving at their destination, His Majesty put the paper away. The door to this room was just a hanging piece of cloth.
"Captain Custodio. The Sorcerer King and Squire Baraja have arrived."
"Let them in."
After entering, Neia could see the complicated expressions on the faces of those present who weren't part of the delegation. Especially the priests. Remedios spoke in a forceful tone.
"Everyone, listen up. Before us stands His Majesty, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. He has come here on his own to aid us. You will accord him all due respect!"
With that, everyone in the room bowed.
"Greetings. I have come here not on behalf of my nation, but in a personal capacity. There are several things I have noticed on the way here. I will let my squire explain."
He moved aside so that everyone could see Neia. She did her best to explain what they discussed earlier.
Remedios did not seem like she thought about the matter very much before speaking.
"...Then what does His Majesty propose we do?"
"First, there are other things to consider. If I become heavily involved in your leadership, that might cause all sorts of trouble after I defeat Jaldabaoth and leave, no? Or what if you were to make yourself temporary subordinates? What would happen then? I would accept and do my best to lead you, but it depends on you."
Neia thought that Remedios should obviously accept. His Majesty had already proven himself to be extremely wise. Surely he would lead them well?
"No, I must refuse. We cannot listen to the commands of a foreign king. Our one true leader is the Holy Queen."
Neia had to stop herself from exclaiming. They were refusing the Sorcerer King's gracious offer to help because of loyalty to someone who wasn't here? Someone who was probably dead? Remedios was a paladin. She should do everything in her power to help their people!
"May we inquire as to what course of action Your Majesty would take in our position?"
"If it were me, I would move my base to a new location."
Pained looks could be seen on everyone's faces. They knew of no other place which could serve as a base.
"I see. It seems you know of no such place. Well, I shall take my leave now."
Neia moved to go with him, but he raised a hand to stop her.
"Miss Baraja, please attend the meeting in my stead."
"Understood, Your Majesty."
She had been given what could be considered her first task by the Sorcerer King. She had to do her best now. Thoughts of what would happen if she were to fail flashed through her mind. She probably couldn't handle disappointing him or making him think less of her. Imagining what that would look like would probably put her to tears.
"That is, if you don't mind, Captain Custodio?"
"It is fine."
And with that, His Majesty had left.
...
Once it had been a few moments since he left, one priest in the room spoke up.
"So that's the Sorcerer King... Captain Custodio. Will it really be all right? I hope the cure is not worse than the disease."
Neia felt angry again. "Not 'His Majesty', huh? And what's this about the cure being worse?" She wanted to say those words out loud, but stopped herself like usual.
"Squire Baraja. What's that bow you're carrying?"
"Ah, it was lent to me by His Majesty for the duration of my assignment. As his squire, he said I should be equipped accordingly."
A priest came closer and spoke.
"May I take a look at it, Squire Baraja? I wish to see if the bow is enchanted with any sinister magic."
"I must refuse. This is a weapon lent to me by His Majesty. It is a treasure of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Only I was allowed to hold it, and I do not feel I can simply disobey His Majesty like this."
Remedios turned to Neia in anger.
"Squire Baraja, hand that bow over!"
"So it is fine if His Majesty hears about this?"
"Enough... I understand. Let's continue talking."
Neia smirked.
...
Over the course of the meeting, they had decided to deal with two problems at once. By securing one of the demi-humans' prison camps, they would not only have the new base, but they would also most likely find food there. They were also trying to find captured nobles with ties to the south, as coming to their rescue would be another thing to gain leverage when the whole thing is over.
With the meeting being over, Neia was stopped before she could leave by Gustav.
"Perhaps I should go too, it would probably be better courtesy to inform him of the contents of the meeting as well, no?"
Neia felt that this made sense, but that there might have been something else. Still, she did not object.
...
The paladin standing guard before the Sorcerer King's room was dismissed by Gustav, who spoke through the cloth which served as a door.
"This is Vice-Captain Gustav Montagnés and Squire Neia Baraja!"
"You may enter."
Coming inside, Neia felt that the cave walls and shoddy furniture were not a great welcome to His Majesty. But when she saw him, she noticed a new piece of furniture which was clearly not here before. The Sorcerer King was sitting on an onyx-black bed with clean white sheets.
"If you're wondering about this, I made it with magic."
Gustav made a few surprised noises which she kind of wanted to scold him for, but she understood. It seemed magic could do almost anything, especially when wielded by His Majesty.
"Now then, I understand why Miss Baraja has returned. But why have you come as well, Vice-Captain?"
"Ah, yes! While I have no intention of slighting Squire Baraja, I felt that it would be more appropriate, as the Vice-Captain, to conduct the upcoming briefing myself. Hence my presence here."
"I gave her those orders because I felt she could carry them out. Interfering in the matter by weight of your position as a superior is comparable to slighting my judgment. I trust you understand how that would displease me, no?"
His tone just now definitely showed anger. It was not very strong, but Neia was glad it was not pointed at her. She could probably not handle that.
Furthermore, it seemed this anger appeared because he trusted her, which pleased her greatly.
"I sincerely apologize!"
"Perhaps you should also apologize to her. Well, go ahead and brief me, then."
Gustav summarized the contents of the meeting and what they had decided on.
"Hmm. I see. Is that all?"
"Actually, Your Majesty, may I ask you for your opinion on the matter?"
So that's what he was planning. Despite the decision not to rely on the Sorcerer King, Gustav tried to do something like this in secret.
"...No, I've already said this. I will not comment on your battle plans. If you heed my suggestions and the operation ends in a failure, what shall be done? I do not intend to shoulder that responsibility, you know?"
"Yes, which is why I do not intend to speak to anyone about this. I hope this will remain between me, Squire Baraja, and Your Majesty."
"I see... I can accept that..."
… … …
Nearly the entire Liberation Army's fighting power was present. They have arrived at their target. It was a demi-human camp. The invaders have built sturdy wooden fortifications around it, complete with a large gate and watchtowers.
The plan was an attack by summoned angels from the air, and the paladins from below. In order to breach the gate, freshly cut logs were brought to be used as battering rams. Remedios led the charge.
"Hmph. No ladders, no flying magic..." She was close to His Majesty, who seemed disappointed.
The demi-humans had noticed them now, and alarms were sounded. She could see that these demi-humans seemed to be the Bafolk, a goat-like race. She could see them carry large spears with which they could stab at those below.
While most dismounted their horses, there were several paladins who circled around the village to prevent any demi-human from escaping and spreading the news of
their attack.
At His Majesty's suggestion, they moved a bit closer to observe the battle.
It seemed everything was moving as one would expect. Arrows were being shot at the paladins, only for the archers to be cut down by the angels. The battering rams drew close to the gate.
The paladins hit the gate with their logs, and everything seemed to be going rather well.
"Get back! Get back, all of you!"
A loud shout was heard from one of the watchtowers. Everyone's attention was drawn there. A Bafolk was holding a little human girl, no younger than seven. He was holding a knife to her throat. Her face and clothes were completely dirty, and she was almost not moving at all.
"Back off or I'll kill this human!"
"Everyone, fall back!" Remedios' command was obeyed by everyone nearby. It took a few more moments for the priests in the back to understand and recall their angels too.
Neia saw that everyone was now arguing about how to handle the situation, though she was too far away to hear. She took out her bow. If she wasn't going to act, who was?
His Majesty raised a hand to stop her.
"That won't be necessary."
He then rode closer to the arguing crowd. She put the bow away and hurried to catch up.
Now that she was closer, she could hear some of the details. They were all trying to think of a way to rescue the child.
"Hey. How long are you going to sit here and do nothing? The situation looks bad."
"We know that!"
Remedios glared at His Majesty in a manner Neia found to be extremely rude.
"That's not what I meant, Captain Custodio. You have shown them that hostages are effective. In such a situation, they will usually use one to make an example. Ah, look. It's happening already."
They looked back at the watchtower just in time to see the girl's head fall.
In response, Remedios shouted back.
"You scum! Even after we did as you said?!"
"That was just an example! Now back off! Even farther!"
Remedios was grinding her together so intensely that everyone could hear.
"... Gustav, order everyone to fall back."
"But-"
"Gustav!"
Now, the Sorcerer King spoke again.
"If this goes on, your surprise attack will be pointless. Also, I can hear the sounds of something moving over there. If they set up barricades, breaking them down will take more time, and things will be more troublesome-"
"Shut up!"
Remedios' interruption of His Majesty irritated Neia greatly. Remedios continued.
"Who's got an idea? A way to solve this without anyone dying?!"
Of course, nobody spoke up.
Neia spoke up.
"Captain. If we attack right now, the fight will still go our way, and we can finish with only a few casualties. Even if that means a few hostages might die."
Remedios now directed her anger at Neia, which made her tremble a bit.
"I support Miss Baraja's opinion."
His Majesty spoke up.
"Shut up."
Remedios saying such things again continued to anger Neia.
"Well, if it can't be helped, I suppose I will have to be the one to act."
The Sorcerer King moved so quickly and suddenly that no one said a word before he was already quite close.
"You there! With the mask! Back off, or I'll kill the human!"
"Why should I care about the life of a single human?"
"W-what?"
"[Widen Magic – Fireball]."
With the use of a spell, the entire watchtower was incinerated, and the somewhat charred corpse of the child was thrown in the Sorcerer King's direction.
"[Maximize Magic – Shockwave]."
What remained of the gate was now gone, and all the Bafolk standing behind it were thrown away or injured.
Remedios made a noise of anger before ordering everyone to charge.
As Gustav moved past the Sorcerer King, he spoke.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Several others gave looks of gratitude as they also moved past.
The Sorcerer King seemed calm now, and addressed Neia in a subdued voice.
"Miss Baraja, did you think I would save the little boy with powerful magic?"
"Yes, that's what I expected, Your Majesty."
"I could have done so, of course. It would be a trivial task, but it was also better not to. You see, if the enemy sees that hostages are effective, they will use them. The paladins would probably have to fight the demi-humans while they used the humans as meat shields, and many more losses would have occurred. If we show that we do not care about hostages and we are attacking instead, the enemy will not waste time killing them."
"Yes, Your Majesty. It is as you say."
He then moved to the dead boy, and started to lift him up.
"Your Majesty, let me do-"
"No, this is a job for me."
He took the boy closer to the gate, toward a banner which Remedios planted.
Looking at him a bit closer, the conditions under which the humans must be held here were made obvious. It seemed he was barely fed.
...
After some time, the battle was over. As they saw Remedios walking through the gate, she was utterly drenched in blood. Taking off her helmet, she glared at the two of them in the exact same way.
"Your Majesty, I wish to express my thanks. While there were some slight losses, we were able to minimize them thanks to Your Majesty's power. Normally, the Captain would be thanking you in person, but she is somewhat distraught at the moment due to the tragic condition in which we found the people, so I pray you will forgive us."
Neia felt like that was somewhat of a lie. Would Remedios really thank the Sorcerer King?
"It is fine. Go tend to your Captain."
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
...
After more time had passed, the paladins were leading the human captives out. They seemed to be in the exact same condition as the boy. Their limbs were far too thin, and she could see most of their bones. The clothing they wore was mostly simple rags, entirely unfit for the winter.
Most people seemed to freeze at the sight of the Sorcerer King. All the people moved slowly, further showing how weak they were. There was just one exception.
A man had rushed over to the corpse of the boy, and collapsed near him. He touched his cheek, and after seeing that the boy was indeed dead, he wept silently.
"I killed that child."
Neia was shocked by His Majesty's words.
"What?! Why?! Why?!" The man turned to face the Sorcerer King in anger, only to recoil in fear when he realized that his appearance was not something like a mask, even if it may seem like the most reasonable thing to assume from a distance.
"I did it to save you, of course."
"What... what?"
"Perhaps I should ask you this. Why did you not protect your son?"
"I-I tried! But those bastards took him from me!"
"Why are you still alive, then? Why did you not fight for him until your dying breath? Do not put the blame on me. It was you who failed. Because you were weak. The strong preying on the weak is only natural."
He then turned to all the people around him.
"Have you all not suffered because the Bafolk were stronger than you?"
"Are you saying the strong can just do as they please?"
"Exactly. The strong do what they will, and the weak suffer what they must. This is the way of the world. The same rule applies to me. In the face of a more powerful opponent, I would have no recourse but to suffer. That is why I seek strength."
Of course, Neia understood. In order to protect himself and his people, he must seek more strength. That is why he is here, to gain control of those demon maids.
One can only be an agent of justice if they also possess the power to enact that justice.
"You, isn't he one of the undead? What are the undead doing in a place like this?" The father of the boy now seemed afraid of the Sorcerer King, and so he addressed Neia.
Before she could speak, His Majesty answered for her.
"To help your country, of course. And the fact is, you were all rescued by the undead of which you speak. If you are unhappy with that, why not save this nation by yourselves?
It was the truth. If the people here were strong enough to defeat Jaldabaoth, the Sorcerer King would not need to be here.
...
They did their best to turn the newly freed humans into soldiers they could use, but the whole situation was still dire. The food they found at the prison camp was less than they had expected. It seemed that the demi-human camps did not each have a large store of food, but instead it was shipped from another place. In this case, it was a nearby city. The meeting during which these matters were discussed were so long that they made Neia's legs hurt. Finally, they arrived at two options.
First, they could flee to the south and hope to reconnect with what remained of the country.
Second, they could reconquer the city, and then other surrounding camps, which will be weakened due to the lack of food should they succeed. This way, they would build up a large force within enemy territory.
After Remedios continuously shouted that they should go with the latter, it was decided.
She had another reason for attacking the city. It was found during their interrogations of the demi-humans they captured alive that someone from the royal family was being held there.
They could use that as leverage with the south.
Assuming it was true.
… … …
The city was coming into view.
"Your Majesty, do you really think there will be a member of the royal family there?"
"It is probably a trap. Even if it wasn't, this is going to be a difficult battle. And yet Captain Custodio decided to bet everything on this."
Looking around, Neia saw that everyone already looked exhausted. The people from the camp have clearly not fully recovered, and everyone else who was on foot was also not doing great.
Still, the battle was about to begin.
...
It was just like last time, with angels from above and everyone else on the ground. Their enemies were the Bafolk again, who also used long spears from atop the walls. The civilians were trying to hit the demi-human fighting the angels with their slings, but missed terribly often.
Whenever the angels fell, a priest was simply able to summon it again, at least for now. Angels were also resistant to non-magical attacks. They were the primary reason the demi-human defense was failing right now. Soon enough, the portcullis was dented.
The paladins rejoicing at being closer to victory were interrupted by something. As Neia focused her eyes, she saw the exact same situation from earlier. The paladins were falling back due to a child hostage a Bafolk was holding. The fighters were gathering around Remedios again.
"Miss Baraja, should we join them?"
"You need not to ask my opinion, Your Majesty."
...
By the time Neia and His Majesty got there, things were already heated.
"Captain! We can't save that child!"
Gustav's words did not reach Remedios at all.
"That is not the kind of war Her Majesty would wage! We serve the Holy Queen! We need to do everything we can to save every life!"
Neia felt tired of Remedios' words, and spoke.
"Captain! We can't win this battle without sacrifice! We ought to sacrifice the few to save the many!"
Once again, the Sorcerer King backed her up.
"Captain Custodio. If this goes on, you will only serve to make the enemies know about the effectiveness of hostages. No matter what, you will not be able to conquer this city without sacrificing anyone. Whether that be your own men or the hostages, it is impossible."
Remedios bit her lip, until she drew blood.
"Hm. Leave the rest to me. Since so much time has passed, I doubt you will be able to resolve this properly now..."
Did he mean...
"Is that really all right?!"
Neia cried out.
"Your Majesty has been conserving his mana to fight Jaldabaoth!"
"It is as you say, Miss Baraja. However, there is no other way in order to save more people. While I cannot possibly guarantee that there will be no losses, at least, there will be far fewer than if your paladins continue the attack. What do you say, Captain Custodio?"
She did not look at him, and headed to the back without another word.
Gustav had to speak for her again. Rather, he had to speak to make up for her actions.
"My apologies, Your Majesty. In the Captain's place, please allow me to beseech you to aid us."
"Hm. Well, it's a pointless question, but you will thank me for it, right?"
"O-of course?"
"Really now? Then I will pacify the city by myself. You gentlemen should keep an eye out for any fish that slip the net and kill them or take them prisoner. Personally, I would rather take them captive in order to question them for information."
Then, he started walking off, and Neia followed him.
"[Greater Magic Seal], [Mass Hold Species]."
He did not stop walking as he cast spells.
He then raised his hand, and ten ghostly apparitions appeared in front of him.
"High Wraiths. Go over there and wait for my instructions."
The undead seemed to disappear.
"Miss Baraja, please wait here."
"May I please accompany you, Your Majesty?"
"Mm...? In that case, please wear this item around your neck. It will prevent magical fear attacks. You will need it. The Wraiths have the ability to inflict fear, you see."
They moved closer to the city gates, and all the paladins fell back.
The Bafolk holding a child hostage saw them approach.
"Get back! Get back, or-"
Suddenly, the Sorcerer King moved closer quite quickly.
"Ah! Undead?! An undead!"
She could hear many voices on the other side of the wall.
The Bafolk's eyes turned to Neia.
"You! Human! You control that undead, right?"
She wanted to scold him for being rude to the Sorcerer King. He was not being controlled, certainly not by someone like her!
"You! Undead! Get back or this kid's dead!"
"Hahaha! You're actually trying to use the living as a hostage against me, one of the undead? My, my..."
A strange expression appeared on the Bafolk's face. Neia found it disgusting.
"Human! Call off your minion!"
"Hm. Now then, shall we begin?"
As His Majesty said this, Neia felt something move past her. Just now, the expressions of all the Bafolk changed. Their eyes and mouths were completely open to their fullest. She could not really understand their expressions, but she understood when she looked at the child hostage. His face was twisted into fear. Horrible, mind-numbing fear.
And then, the Bafolk all started screaming.
"Hmph. Release, [Mass Hold Species]."
The Sorcerer King used some kind of spell, and numerous Bafolk and their hostages froze in place with their hideous expressions unmoving. He could still hear loud breathing, so she knew they were not dead. More screams could be heard elsewhere.
"All right, let's continue."
"[Greater Break Item]."
With that, the portcullis exploded into splinters.
"Hm. So using it on bigger objects like this drains more mana..." He spoke to himself quietly as he walked in.
Neia's mind was struggling to keep up with everything, but she smiled just now. He really was awesome.
She felt awe and respect, and also something else that she felt a few times before, but she didn't know what it was. She hurried to keep up with him.
"Hm. This is all only temporary. Can you call up the paladins to tie them all up? And tell them to use [Lion's Heart] or [Under Divine Flag]. The Wraiths are still
using their fear auras."
He even knew about spells he could not use!
"Of course, Your Majesty!"
As she ran out, she saw many injured Bafolk outside. It seemed they jumped down the city walls in an attempt to flee.
After relaying what the Sorcerer King told her to the paladins, she rushed back to the city. It's been a while since she ran that fast.
"Let's go, then."
Properly stepping out into the streets, the place looked terrible. There were many trampled Bafolk everywhere, with just a few humans mixed in.
"Ah, the hostages. Well, it can't be helped. All we can do is treat it like a sad accident." Neia agreed. Sacrifices had to be made. This was war.
The whole time, His Majesty seemed to know where he was going. After some more walking, he started speaking again.
"The demi-humans seem to have a clear leader. He is waiting in a plaza near the center of the city."
He probably knew this because of his communication with his summoned minions.
"I suppose we should go see him. What do you think?"
She still did not understand why he would ever bother to ask for her opinion.
"All will be well if we do as Your Majesty says!" She truly believed that. The Sorcerer King was wise and knowledgeable beyond anything she'd ever seen before.
"Is that so?"
They continued, and so did the screams. There was all sorts of trash, urine and feces everywhere. Her disgust for the Bafolk grew. At least for these. She thought that maybe they could be made to be civilized, like the demi-humans in the Sorcerer Kingdom.
His Majesty suddenly stopped. She looked at his face to find out what he was looking at. Gazing in that direction herself, she saw another gruesome sight. There were many naked humans, with their hands nailed to a wooden fence. Another method of using humans as meat shields. Many of them were injuring themselves as they struggled and screamed, also affected by the fear effect.
Neia then realized the Sorcerer King was looking at her.
"I thought you'd rush over to help them, but it's fine. They're in no immediate danger. They should be safe. Should we go, then?"
"Yes!"
...
They had now reached a place which seemed like a market plaza. In the center of it, she could see what seemed like a Bafolk, except far larger. He had silver fur, and the tips of his two large horns were covered in a gold shell socketed with jewels. His green chestplate had a turtle shell pattern, and it had a reddish-brown cape. In one hand, he held a large shield socketed with a topaz. In the other, he held a bastard sword with a light yellow blade. If Neia were alone, she would have already turned and ran as fast as her legs allowed.
"Wonderful. I wonder which one of your items stopped the fear."
She felt a bit odd hearing His Majesty's word of delight. As he stepped forward, she saw that the demi-human's eyes were a vibrant green. Those eyes studied the Sorcerer King, and then landed on Neia.
"A newly-appeared undead... and is that a necromancer in the back? Not bad. You managed to push this city, my tribe to this point... You, who controls the enemy of all life, the user of fearsome magic. State your name."
Before she could correct his rude assumption, His Majesty had already spoken.
"So you do understand. That's right, it's her. She's my Mistress."
"W-what?! Wait! Your Majesty!" She panicked so much she started to flap her hands around while the Sorcerer King laughed.
"Ah, forgive me. It was just a joke."
What kind of joke was that?!
He then turned to the Bafolk.
"And you. I am the entity who set the undead upon you. I am the undying king who rules a country to the northeast, the ruler of the Sorcerer Kingdom, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown. And what is your name?"
"My name is Buser — the Grand King Buser... Oh Sorcerer King, how about the woman by your side?"
"She is my follower. Well then, what do you want to do? Would you rather be killed by me? Or kneel in servitude?"
"I will not kneel to you. Nor will I die."
"I see. By the way, I do not sense any magic from that thing on your waist. What is it?"
"Oh, that? That's just fashion. Just human bones."
"Hm. That reminds me of some of my subordinates." This comment made Neia shudder a little bit. It seemed he even had people like that under him.
"Normally I'd play with you for a bit. I really would, but I don't care to do so right now. [Death]."
With that spell, the demi-human died.
Neia had never heard of a spell simply called "[Death]", but it seemed to work as intended.
Still, this scene made her freeze for a bit.
This was an enemy she could not defeat, even if there were five thousand Neias. Captain Remedios herself would probably have trouble with him...
And now, he was killed with a single spell.
...
The city was now free. The attacking paladins and militiamen had been almost completely unhurt. Of the humans which were held inside, one could count their deaths on a hand or two. As Neia and His Majesty walked down the street, they saw that everyone was smiling, or straight up crying tears of joy after being released. Although everyone was informed that they owed their freedom to the Sorcerer King, their expressions still showed shock, confusion, and aversion as they saw him. Neia thought they were being rude, and wanted to scold each and every one of them.
"Hm... demons could be troublesome."
During the search of the city, a note written in a strange script was found, which His Majesty identified as demonic. They were talking as they walked.
"Since there are demons around, it would be good if we had someone who could see the original forms of shapeshifters."
"Demons can shapeshift?"
"Demons like that do exist. They can shapeshift into humans and even animals. I should discuss with Captain Custodio if there is someone who can see through such
things."
When they arrived at where Remedios was supposed to be, they only found Gustav.
"Ohh! Your Majesty! We were just about to invite you over!"
He seemed to be in a great mood.
"What happened? Did you receive good news?"
"Yes! There is an important person you should meet. Please, follow me."
The Sorcerer King, followed by Neia, was taken to a room with a few simple wooden chairs. Remedios sat next to a weak-looking, skinny man.
"This is the brother of the Holy Queen, Caspond Bassarez."
Neia blinked repeatedly, utterly surprised at the fact that someone like this was actually imprisoned here.
"Caspond-sama. This is the king of the Sorcerer Kingdom of Ainz Ooal Gown, His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown, who has come to aid our nation."
"Ohhh! Words cannot express my gratitude, Your Majesty. I am honored to meet you. As others have said, I am the brother who was eclipsed by my outstanding little sister."
Neia knew that Calca was the first Holy Queen, and her crowning was even more unusual because she had several brothers, some of them older than her.
"I see. I am happy to hear that."
The two men performed a handshake.
"In any event, I am glad to see Your Highness is safe and sound. Still, how did you come to be imprisoned here?"
"That was because I happened to flee here. Baron Bagnen took very good care of me. He is being taken care of by the priests, I believe."
"Hm. Before we continue, there is one thing I must also verify. Is there anyone in this country who can see through shapeshifting or illusions?"
"Why do you ask, Your Majesty?"
"That is because I am wary of demons using magic to hide themselves among the imprisoned people."
Caspond looked to Remedios, who shook her head, as did Gustav. He also looked at Neia, who did the same.
"So even Squire Baraja does not know." This surprised her, and apparently she made that fact obvious.
"Ah, are you surprised? I heard about you from the Captain, and I am grateful you are a good servant to His Majesty."
"My deepest thanks!" She bowed to Caspond.
The two men continued.
"While it shames me to admit my ignorance, do demons possess the power to transform into other people?"
"They cannot transform into others. It is simply that they can take human form, not that they can imitate anyone's looks. Therefore, if there is anyone who nobody recognizes amongst the prisoners, they might be a demon in disguise."
"I see. We should check for something like that later."
… … …
After they had stayed in the city for about a week, a massive demi-human army appeared over the horizon.
It was an army of 40 000. Within the city, there were 10 000 humans.
… … …
Ainz looked over the city, which was now in a state of panic due to the appearance of the army.
He collapsed from exhaustion, falling to his knees.
Overall, he was trying to just follow Demiurge's script, but that script was far too vague. When he tried to bring this up to Demiurge, demanding that more detail was added, the demon refused, saying that trying to tell the amazing Lord Ainz how to act to such an extent was far too rude. Ultimately, he lost that argument, being told that no matter what he came up with, it was surely the best option.
Ainz pulled himself together, and got up.
The plan was now entering the most important stages. This was bad.
Demiurge had planned to attack until there were about 85% casualties on the Holy Kingdom's side.
He had no idea what that was all about, but if Demiurge thought of it, it must've been a good plan.
Recently, he was asked if there were any specific humans which were his followers, and he would have to answer soon. He thought about it, but the humans of the Holy Kingdom did not seem to respect him much due to him being undead. The only one he could think of was that squire which was assigned to him, but she was just doing her duty. Besides, she often glared at him with scary eyes anyway, which just confused him. He also tried to use her to promote runecraft, but then she never even fought using that bow.
No matter what he said, Demiurge would surely be disappointed that he could not gain the respect of a single human.
Then, someone knocked on his door.
"Who is it?"
"Your Majesty, may I enter?"
The voice sounded neither male nor female. Normally he'd ask who it was, but he already knew.
"Come in."
The creature did as he commanded. Its head was the shape of an egg, and instead of eyes and a mouth, there were three black holes. It had three long and slender fingers on each hand. It was the Doppelganger assuming the role of Caspond.
"I must sincerely apologize for the many offenses I have caused you during the course of my duties. I pray you will forgive me."
"It's fine. You were just doing your job."
"Thank you for your kind words."
A brief pause followed.
"Then may your servant hear your answer to the previous question? Regarding any humans here that should be spared?"
Ainz looked away and started pacing around the room. It looked like this was it. He could no longer hide his utter lack of success. His incompetence.
Just then, emotional suppression had kicked in.
"I'll be frank... There are no humans here worth saving."
… … …
Walking to the Sorcerer King's room, Neia drank water from her flask. It was to rid herself of the rising stomach acids. She felt like vomiting.
Just before, the demi-humans encircling the city brought about a dozen live humans closer to the city walls, where Neia was posted. There were both children and adults among them, and all of them were naked.
She thought maybe they were there for some sort of negotiations, but that couldn't be further from the truth.
They started eating the humans.
Neia did not want to think about that sight anymore. She wanted to vomit several times on her way here, but did not want any stench to cling to her as she was going to meet the Sorcerer King.
She forced herself to swallow another mouthful of water.
...
There was no one standing in front of the Sorcerer King's room. Normally, they'd want to keep an eye on him, but the present situation demanded everyone be prepared for an attack, and everyone had work to do.
But things were going to be okay now. Although it was going to be temporary, she was now going to see His Majesty. She was happy. Surely being in his presence would ease her mind.
She knocked on the door and announced herself.
"Your Majesty, this is Squire Neia Baraja!"
"Come in."
She quietly entered, and saw that the Sorcerer King stood with his back to her, looking out the window.
"Looks quite chaotic down there. More than when the army first showed up. Are they preparing to attack?"
He had no intention of helping them in this battle. He had simply been staying in his room for all this time.
"We don't think it's like that, but they've been making shows of force and trying to bring down morale."
"I see. Then this stand-off will probably continue for a bit longer. Say, do you think you can win this battle?"
Neia wanted to say that it was very obviously impossible. Not only was the Liberation Army outnumbered, but an individual demi-human was stronger than a human. While there seemed to be at least 40 000 enemies, their figure of 10 000 also included women, children and the elderly. In addition, most of those people were formerly from the camps, and so they were weakened. The only real thing they had was Captain Remedios, the most powerful human in the Holy Kingdom. But Neia had also seen the Grand King Buser, and knew that there were probably several demi-humans just as strong as her.
The only one who could turn this whole thing around was the great person in front of her, the Sorcerer King Ainz Ooal Gown.
She realized she hadn't actually answered his question, she scrambled to do so as she scolded herself for being rude to someone like His Majesty.
"I-I'm not sure! I'll do my best to find out!"
"I see. Then have you found out about the enemy? Have you verified Jaldabaoth's presence?"
"No, he has not been spotted yet."
"Then it might be impossible for me to help you in this city's defense. His plan might be to lower my mana, after all."
"Of course! Everyone is already aware of Your Majesty's opinion."
The Sorcerer King was here to fight Jaldabaoth. Having him waste his mana on such things was unacceptable. Of course, not everyone agreed with Neia.
Then, His Majesty turned to her for the first time. The glowing red points within his otherwise empty eye sockets had once intimidated and frightened her, but now she liked them.
"Miss Baraja, I can teleport others with me too, you know?"
She wasn't sure what exactly he was getting at. The matter of evacuating Caspond was discussed before, but an heir with a good chance of taking the throne begging a foreign king to escape with his life while his people died could be seen as very disgraceful.
"Perhaps I should speak plainly, hm? Neia Baraja, you would be welcome in my nation. A squire on her way to become a paladin is someone of talent, after all."
Her eyes widened somewhat. Why was such a thing being offered to her in the first place? She was very happy that His Majesty was willing to make an exception for just her. It made her feel special.
But thinking about her decision, several things flashed before her eyes. The sacrifice of her parents. The friends she made. Her love for her hometown. Would she ever be able to return to her country?
But there was one thing above all.
She was a member of the paladin corps.
She assumed a dignified pose and spoke. There was pride in her voice.
"As a citizen of the Holy Kingdom, I feel I am bound to save as many of the people as I am able. That is because saving the helpless - saving those who are suffering is common sense."
The Sorcerer King had completely frozen in place as she said this.
After a moment, he started moving again, and put his hand to his chin.
"Hm."
She looked him in the eyes. He muttered something to himself, and she was just barely able to hear.
"Ah. Those look like his eyes. I liked those eyes."
She did not at all know what he meant, but she blushed. Although indirectly, he said he liked something about her. It felt great.
"In that case... I'll lend you several things, Miss Baraja."
The Sorcerer King suddenly pulled several things out of thin air.
"First, here."
It was the Grand King Buser's armour. She was stunned. He was lending her this? It felt like when she first received the bow from him. In fact, shouldn't she be returning it, since the chances of her dying soon were rather high?
"This ought to be useful, hm?"
It was far too large for her, but she knew that enchanted items generally changed size to accommodate the current wearer.
There were three other things. A circlet which defended against many magical effects, both negative and positive. A pair of gauntlets which enhanced one's archery abilities. And finally, there was a necklace which consumed the user's mana to cast a third-tier spell, [Heavy Recover]. Considering Neia was not a magic caster of any sort, her mana was probably enough to only cast it once.
Neia looked at these items, but once again, she thought about what would happen if she died wearing them. Not only would she be unable to return them, but they would end up strengthening the demi-humans instead.
"I must refuse!"
"Why is that? These items will be useful to you in the fighting to come, will they not?"
Neia's unease was obvious.
"If you're worried about them getting lost if you die, then don't worry about that. I have spells to locate magic items."
This made her feel a little better, but she still looked at him with worry.
"Hm. Let's see... if you're still uneasy, how about you make me a promise? Promise me that no matter what, you will come back and return these items to me."
Neia could only stare at him. She knew the meaning of those words.
It was a different way to say "promise you'll come back alive".
These words made Neia's eyes wet with tears. Saying something like this, and something this kind was only something her parents had done before now.
She spoke as she moved to wipe the tears.
"Thank you very much! I swear I will return them!"
She felt that strange emotion again. She still did not know what it was, but it was getting stronger.
… ... …
Ainz stood quietly in his room, knowing the attack on the city was currently taking place, and nearly all the humans here would be slaughtered. He did not feel any remorse, but something was wrong.
Earlier, he'd told Demiurge no humans here would need to be spared, but it seemed he was mistaken. His squire, Neia Baraja, seemed to respect him after all.
Though this was still an utter failure. A single person? What a joke.
He felt like he failed, and wanted to make up for it.
Still, doing what he thought about now would mean going against Demiurge's plan, which certainly meant it was foolish to do.
Despite that, he finally decided. He'd save the people who were now fighting for their lives within this city. This should increase his reputation, right?
"Sorry, Demiurge."
Thinking about where to start, surely the highest ranked people would be the priority. With that, he headed towards where Remedios, the paladins' Captain was fighting.
...
Neia shot another arrow from her bow, and another demi-human fell.
She reached for another arrow, drew her bow, released the arrow, and another demi-human fell.
She reached for another arrow, drew her bow, released the arrow, and another demi-human fell.
And again.
Again.
Again.
Again.
Atop the city walls, they could no longer keep the invaders from constantly approaching with more and more ladders.
She reached for another arrow.
Her quiver was almost empty.
She shot another demi-human, who fell.
Knowing that the situation was only going to get more chaotic as time went on, she looked around to find if there was an unused full quiver around here.
A couple dozen steps away, there was the corpse of an archer. She ran over it, and faced the corpse.
Half of his face was reduced to a mess of bloody, unrecognizable flesh with shards of bone sticking out. He must have been hit by one of those rock-spewing demi-humans.
She almost vomited, but that sight from a few days ago prepared her for things like this.
Replenishing her quiver with the contents of his, she looked for another target.
She then drew her bow, released an arrow, and killed another attacker.
The city walls were now devolving into chaos, and the men around her were dying faster and faster.
A demi-human shouted suddenly and forcefully, so much so that it could be heard quite clearly even amongst the fighting.
"That human archer! Look! That's the Grand King's armour! Be careful!"
She looked towards the sound and saw a goat-like demi-human pointing at her.
Since the armour she was wearing previously belonged to the Grand King Buser, they must have thought she was his killer, and avoided her. She considered that perhaps the Sorcerer King thought that far, and intended it as another layer of protection when he gifted the items to her. She muttered under her breath as she prepared another arrow. "Thank you, Your Majesty!"
Her fingers and arms were starting to hurt. Everything was, now that she thought about it. Still, she had to continue.
And just like that, she found herself surrounded by a group of militiamen.
"That's right! Stay back! Miss Baraja is dangerous!"
"Squire Baraja? Are you all right?"
The men who formed a defensive circle around her said several things like that, and she felt rather flattered. This was no time for such feelings, however.
"I'm okay, please protect me and I'll continue shooting!"
Feeling a bit more safe, she looked around and realized that she and the men around her were among the last.
She thought about using them to escape. She promised she would return all these gifts the Sorcerer King had given her, after all.
But she chose not to.
She instead released another arrow, which hit its target in the eye.
And then, another arrow.
And then another.
But no matter how many arrows she fired, there were just too many.
The last of the men around her were dying. One after another. Making use of a gap that formed as one of her impromptu defenders died, a demi-human stabbed her left arm with a long spear. The unexpected pain made her unable to inhale or exhale. She tried to move the arm, but the pain was only getting worse.
It was horrible. The pain made her want to vomit again. That arm was useless now.
She drew her sword with her right, and saw that there were only three men around her now. And then, a claw struck her cheek, tearing it apart it and exposing the teeth underneath. Her mouth was filled with blood.
More pain. It was only getting worse.
Another man fell.
And then the second.
And then the last, and she was alone.
She started swinging her sword desperately to keep them away.
The only reason she was alive was their hesitation at seeing the one who they believed slayed the Grand King.
But seeing the state she was in, they readied themselves.
In a single moment, Neia was pierced from all sides by long blades.
As she was fading away in that very instant, her final thoughts reached for anything but this. All this pain, all this fear.
She reached for those she loved. "Please help me... please save me... please hold me... please... dad... mom... Your Majesty..."
And then, Neia Baraja died.
...
There was a shield wall surrounding what looked like a makeshift arena, to which there were two entrances. One was the city gate, and the other was a small gap in the shield wall. Within it, there were three powerful-looking demi-humans. There was the monkey-like warrior, then a four-armed female magic caster which was somewhat similar to a human, and another warrior which looked like a sabertooth cat with dark fur.
The cat-like one was fighting Remedios, and they seemed to be quite evenly matched. The other two demi-humans were slaughtering several other paladins in a series of one-on-one battles. It seemed obvious what was going on.
The other paladins sacrificed themselves fighting battles they could not win so that their Captain had a chance of defeating one of the demi-humans. Afterward, they would repeat until they ran out of people or until all the demi-humans were dead.
It didn't take long for the former to become reality. There were no more paladins available for Remedios to command to their deaths, only the commoner militiamen.
Seeing this, the four-armed magic caster spoke, her words aimed at the sabertooth cat fighting Remedios.
"Heeheehee. Well then, we'll leave her to you, Vijar-dono. We'll be hunting the humans in the rear now."
The paladins' Captain, realizing the situation and seeing all her men dead, cried out.
"What? You scumbags!"
The monkey demi-human replied.
"Our aim is to wipe out the humans in the city as needed, not to serve as your opponents. Nasrene-dono, may I count on you to wipe out that rabble in the back with your power?"
He was speaking to the magic caster, who understood.
"Ah yes..."
Remedios understood what was about to happen, and attempted to charge the caster, only to be attacked by her current opponent, stopping her charge instantly.
"[Fireball!]" It was aimed at the shield wall surrounding them.
As the spell was flying through the air, a second away from ending the lives of who knows how many, another voice was heard.
"[Wall of Skeleton!]"
The [Fireball] hit a suddenly appearing wall of bones, and did not reach its target. Everyone looked towards the voice which cast that strange spell. It was the Sorcerer King, who spoke as he landed on his creation.
"While this is a common enough occurrence on the battlefield, I find it a little difficult to watch a three-on-one battle. You don't mind if I join in, do you?"
Cheers erupted from every human as they heard him speak. Except for Remedios. "Ahhhhhhhhhh! Why did he show up?! Why are they cheering for him?! Why! Why! Why! For this filthy undead being?!"
The demi-human whose spell was stopped spoke.
"It looks like an Elder Lich. So there's a type without skin, then. Still, does a mere Elder Lich truly have the power to stop my spells? His robe looks very impressive... just how powerful is his summoner?"
Remedios' hatred also leaked out to target her men. Why are they not cheering for the paladins who just died for them, but for this undead who showed up late?
She forcefully addressed the Sorcerer King.
"Why did you come here?"
He seemed to freeze up at those words and turned towards her.
"...Why? ... Why I came to help you?"
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Next, she addressed the militiamen
"We'll let the Sorcerer King handle this place! Let's go help where they need us more!"
There were concerned looks on their faces, and one of them spoke up.
"But... leaving the Sorcerer King, by himself..."
"He's strong, no? He'll handle it. Come on!"
The men looked at him as they went to go fight elsewhere, disappearing behind buildings.
…
Ainz looked at the empty space where they had been and muttered to himself. "Eh? ...That bitch, she really just dumped it all on me. Shouldn't there be a scene of her being grateful as I join the fight and we defeat our enemies together? She could have at least been polite about it, maybe asking me if I'll really be all right here on my own..."
As he thought about the situation, the three demi-humans bantered amongst each other
"Heeheehee. Looks like you've been left here. Heeheehee, how sad, how sad."
"An Elder Lich. In other words, an individual that's powerful as a magic caster. Is there a need to be careful? I haven't seen that wall-making spell before, but it seems to be of a fairly high tier."
"Hmph. So it's still a magic caster, then? Don't really feel like fighting it. In the end, you need to beat a warrior if you want people to sing tales about you."
Ainz turned to them. Specifically, the ape-like demi-human who seems to have been laughing.
"Haha! Does it matter? First we kill him, then-"
"Shut up." Ainz cut their conversation short with those words, and with the cast of an eighth-tier spell, [Silent Magic – Death].
His target froze in place instantly, and fell to the ground.
The sabercat demi-human spoke with surprise and fear.
"...What? What did you-"
"I told you to shut up, didn't I?" He cast the same spell again. Only the four-armed female remained now.
\\\
What the hell just happened? What kind of undead creature is this? The undead couldn't possibly ally themselves with humans. Is it being controlled by a necromancer?
The undead which stood before her has just killed two warriors who were on par with her, seemingly without even casting a spell. Could such a powerful undead being even be controlled? Could such a necromancer exist? If this nation had such a necromancer, why were they only showing their power now? The invasion should have never even gotten to this point if there was someone like that here.
But that wasn't important right now. What was, however, was life. As her mind went from trying to figure out this mystery to a sort of panicked survival state, she found her options were limited.
She had never learned any escape spells, because she felt far too powerful to ever need them. In that case, she needed to attack.
As she readied herself to do so, it was already too late.
"[Death]"