Neia was called before the Holy King.
She could already guess why. Her people had informed her a few days earlier.
She believed the reports, but she also wanted to wait until she had absolutely certain confirmation, so the situation could be handled in an official capacity.
The matter at hand felt like it could go either way.
And so, she was determined to push the Holy King to do it her way. It's what she and her most trusted advisors agreed on.
As she sat in her carriage, surrounded by heavy security, she muttered under her breath.
"Unforgivable! Those pigs..."
If the reports were to be believed, they were going to deal with the attack on the Sorcerer Kingdom's shipment of food.
It was aid that was meant for her country, the Holy Kingdom.
From what she knew, it was someone from the Re-Estize Kingdom's nobility which orchestrated the attack.
The crime was utterly unforgivable for two reasons. Not only was it food meant to help during her country's crisis, it was sent by none other than the greatest and kindest of all, His Majesty the Sorcerer King.
His gracious helping hand was bit by a rabid dog who had no business interfering.
They will answer for this.
She didn't know what the Holy King would do in this instance, but she felt that no matter what it was, it probably wasn't going to be enough.
And so, she would make demands of her own.
Would she demand the nobles' heads? Would she demand the king's head? Whatever she could get away with.
She could push her weight around now. Her organization was now bigger than the old church.
Such a thing was unimaginable only months ago, but they did it. All the people working hard towards this goal did it.
She did it.
She was a trusted servant of His Majesty.
A good servant.
And she took great pride in that.
...
She was led into a gloriously decorated room where most things were shades of white, gray and blue. The Holy King Caspond stood up from his chair at the head of a table as she entered, as did everyone else after a small delay. They were nobles loyal to Caspond.
"Ah! Welcome, Lady Baraja! We were waiting for you to start."
"Your Majesty..."
She sat in the only empty chair, which was also the closest to Caspond. A seat of honour.
At that moment, she felt her stomach growling. Again... But she had other matters to attend to now.
"I assume you might already know why we've gathered here today?"
"I have heard rumours, but I would like to hear the full story."
"Of course..."
Caspond closed his eyes and breathed in. He only spoke when he opened them again, and they were focused on Neia.
"...we have received news that a large shipment of grain from the Sorcerer Kingdom, which was meant as aid for us, was attacked when passing through the Re-Estize Kingdom."
She did not pay attention to the reactions of anyone else in the room as her own feelings bubbled up again. The anger.
"I see, Your Majesty... then what is the course of action you wish to take?"
"It seems there will not be much room for deciding."
Neia raised an eyebrow, though none could see because of her visor.
"You see, we've already been visited by a messenger from the Sorcerer Kingdom."
The nobles in the room shared some gasps and spoke out of turn.
"Huh? Already?" A man's voice was heard from somewhere else in the room.
She was not that surprised at the speed of the Sorcerer Kingdom's messengers. Teleportation was readily available to those serving under the Sorcerer King.
"Well, what message did they bring, Your Majesty?"
Caspond turned to a servant behind him in response, who hurried to bring him some sort of document.
Caspond dramatically lifted it up for all to see.
"This is the Sorcerer Kingdom's declaration of war."
Everyone in the room, including Neia, widened their eyes, and the room went silent.
Caspond brought the document down and looked at it as everyone else was still stunned.
They all knew what this meant. The Sorcerer King saved their country almost single-handedly. Not only that, the very goal of that operation was to acquire the powerful demon maids at Jaldabaoth's disposal to strengthen his own kingdom. No one doubted that the Sorcerer Kingdom would win easily. The only question which remained was the goal of this war. The Sorcerer King could make basically any demand he wished due to the difference in military power.
Would Re-Estize surrender outright? Was that the plan? But what then? Would they become a vassal like the Baharuth Empire?
However, those were all questions irrelevant to her current situation. Right now, she needed to know how Caspond wished to respond, and if she would need to leverage her power.
She was the first to speak up while everyone was still stuck processing this.
"So what does Your Majesty intend to do?"
He smiled at her.
"Well, Lady Baraja, that's what we're here to discuss."
He took a moment to eye everyone in the room with a neutral expression.
"I say we must endorse this war in an official capacity."
Everyone was again stuck in thought. Neia simply thought this was what they obviously ought to do. The question was, would they do anything else? Send troops, perhaps?
Caspond spoke again.
"The document I hold already bears the seals of several countries in the region."
He once again lifted up the document.
"See here? That is the seal of the Sorcerer Kingdom, followed by the seals of the Baharuth Empire, the Dragon Kingdom, and the Dwarf Kingdom. It seems this war was already recognized as legitimate by all the allies of the Sorcerer King."
It seemed Caspond was waiting for something, but here was only more silence.
"And so, it seems only reasonable that we follow suit, as we too, are the Sorcerer Kingdom's allies."
Neia nodded in agreement immediately.
Murmurs could be heard in the room, and eventually the agreement seemed unanimous.
"I see there are no objections? In that case, this document will receive my seal... and Lady Baraja's."
She was surprised at those words, but did understand what he meant.
In the Holy Kingdom's past, such matters always received two seals. One from the Holy King, and one from the High Priest.
She did not officially have such a title, but it seemed she was already regarded as the country's head of religion.
To have made it this far, to have made so many people see the glory of Ainz Ooal Gown, to have served her love...
"Not that I can demand you to do such a thing, Lady Baraja. It is still your seal, and you may use it however you see fit."
"N-no, I will surely give this war my official approval! This was an unforgivable crime against our country and against our savior! Let them all die!"
She saw that everyone in the room was looking at her. Some could be described as staring in bewilderment.
Most of them likely did not expect this development at all.
A new religion becoming dominant in the country in such a short period of time?
It was indeed simply incredible. And she was proud.
… … …
Neia stepped through an ornate door into a rather humble room.
The Sorcerer King was waiting for her inside. This was his palace in E-Rantel.
"Ah, my love. You've finally arrived?"
Neia blushed as she was called that for the first time.
"Y-yes, Your Majesty. Why did you call upon me today? Was it to-"
She was interrupted as the Sorcerer King suddenly moved closer, right in front of her.
"I believe you know exactly why I summoned you here..."
He grabbed her by the waist and moved his face close.
"Ah! Your Majesty?"
"It's time to unwrap my candy."
And then, Neia woke up.
Her breathing was quick and shallow, and there was a bit of sweat on her forehead.
Realizing what was going on, she sat up on her bed with a heavy sigh.
She felt disappointed.
Dreams like this have only been increasing in frequency over time.
She let herself rest for a moment, calming down with deep breaths.
Still, her mind returned to her dream.
"Mmm... it would be beautiful if that were to happen... that would be the best day of my life..."
It was all still quite vivid in her memory, and so she could focus on it and let her imagination run wild.
His Majesty being sudden and forceful with his advances was a very exciting fantasy to Neia, possibly because that's the opposite of what he was usually like.
The Sorcerer King was a patient, and probably very old being.
This whole dating thing could probably be thought of as a test to see if she was worthy of his love.
Wait, maybe that's what all dating was?
Still, there were many challenges she could only assume most people would never run into. Most people wouldn't be trying to court the ruler of a foreign nation.
Thinking about it in that way made her remember the early stages of their relationship, where she questioned her sanity for being so daring.
But now, things have escalated far beyond what she initially imagined would happen.
Not quite like her wild fantasies...but hopefully she'll get there... one day...
Her mind returned to the present as she looked around her dark room.
"Ugh... I'm too tired now..."
If she hadn't given a particularly long speech today, she might have had enough energy to reach down into her panties and still have some fun.
As Neia was about to lay back down and go to sleep, she realized those panties were wet. She should probably change.
… … …
Today was another date. In only about half an hour, she would meet with His Majesty again. While she was certainly happy about that, there was something quite pressing.
The matter of the war with the Re-Estize Kingdom.
She wanted to speak with him and ask about some details which were unknown to her.
She realized that knowing what the goals of the war were before anyone else could help her reach her followers better, since they kept asking questions she could not answer.
They were concerned about the war. She always simply said that there was nothing to worry about. This was His Majesty, after all, and the pigs of the Kingdom were the ones who provoked this.
Yet that did not fully dispel the uncertainty, and so she was a little uneasy herself. Just a little bit.
She was looking herself over in front of the mirror when the maid in the room, Emma, spoke up.
"Lady Baraja? Is everything alright? Will you need any more help?"
"Hm? Ah, sorry, I was lost in my thoughts. Either way, yes. Everything is fine, but I do not wish to be disturbed for the next two hours."
She didn't need the full two hours, but threw them in for good measure.
"Again, Lady Baraja? Hmm... if it is not private, may I inquire as to why you request such things at the night of every two weeks, or sometimes only after a week?"
She still didn't have a good excuse, despite thinking about the topic for quite a bit.
"It is indeed private."
"I see. My sincerest apologies, Lady Baraja."
"There's no need." She assumed that this is what His Majesty must have felt like sometimes, as he received apologies for things which did not offend him.
He was such a kind ruler after all, and did not at all demand more than common politeness.
Thinking about his kindness made her a little excited, and so she finally told the maid to leave. As the door to the room closed, Neia felt the silent peace of being alone.
She started to appreciate such moments now that her daily life had become so busy.
Still, it would get a lot better when His Majesty arrived.
...
Neia waited in silence and peace, until it was almost time.
About a minute before the scheduled arrival, she got up from the sofa and headed near where the Sorcerer King would appear after teleporting.
As she saw him, she kneeled.
"Thank you for coming, Your Majesty!"
"Hello, Neia. Please rise."
As she did so, she sensed that perhaps the skeleton in front of her was a little uneasy. Or was she imagining things?
"Let's sit, Neia."
He went over to the table, on which he placed a platter of seemingly boring flat pieces of... something cooked. It looked like someone threw some sort of batter on a pan without thinking.
She sat down, somewhat distracted by the unusual simplicity of the meal he brought.
"How were you these past two weeks?"
"Ah, I wished to talk about this in more detail, Your Majesty. I've been somewhat troubled by the declaration of war between your kingdom and the Re-Estize Kingdom."
"I see..."
She felt that he was uneasy again.
"Can you elaborate?"
"Of course. Some have been asking me about the purpose of the war, and what will happen to the people. I was able to answer why the war was happening and why it was completely justified, but Your Majesty's goals are still unknown to me."
"I see."
The Sorcerer King seemed to be in thought.
"I will of course be honest with you, Neia. The Re-Estize Kingdom will be destroyed completely."
"Ah. I see. They did something unacceptable, and must now be punished... But what about the citizenry?"
His Majesty seemed to wince almost unnoticeably at the question.
"Aren't they innocent of their disgusting rulers' crimes?"
It took him a moment to respond.
"Of course, Neia... it's just that... you see, this will be a necessary and valuable lesson for the whole world to learn. With the destruction of the entire country, all will learn that to defy Ainz Ooal Gown is to surrender one's self to death."
She understood, but still felt that this was somewhat cruel to those who've done nothing wrong. Or have they? They did not even follow the religion which preached His Majesty's glory, so perhaps there was no saving them after all. And if they truly wanted to not be on the wrong side, they should leave their country.
The Sorcerer King spoke again.
"I see you still have concerns? Is it about the civilians, still?"
"Ah, yes! You've seen right through me, Your Majesty!"
"I see. I will do what I can to see if there are those who do not wish to resist, those who are worthy of mercy. Will that alleviate your worries?"
"Y-yes, Your Majesty! But I must ask, are you doing this only because I asked you?"
The Sorcerer King seemed to once again freeze up just a tiny bit. Was she imagining it? Either way, she wanted an answer because she found it to be quite strange that her opinion could influence that of the great Sorcerer King, who was himself justice.
"Not really, Neia. I already had plans like that."
"Ah, I see. I'm happy to hear that. Of course you did."
"Yes, that's fine. Ah, but how about you eat your food before it gets too cold?"
She wanted to refuse.
She felt like she had to say no.
She had to.
It was for her own good, but-
"Ah, yes. I will... eat..."
She could not help herself.
Taking one of the flat pieces of something into her hands, she found that it had no smell at all.
What was this, exactly? Was it filled with something?
She bit into it, only to be attacked by the impossibly great taste and smell.
Inside this thing was some sort of melted something which reminded her of that "cheddar" cheese somewhat, but this one was different and very salty, and looked white and dark green. There were also pieces of incredible-tasting ham.
After chewing and swallowing, she asked.
"Your Majesty, what is this filling?"
"It's some ham mixed in with something called blue cheese, which is cultivated using special types of edible mold."
That was rather strange to Neia, but the same applied to many other food items she's since eaten.
"The other ones have somewhat different fillings. I hope you like them all."
… … …
Neia was in the backstage portion of a podium which stood in the center of a large plaza. This was where she gave most of her speeches, and she found the place rather comfy.
But as she was preparing to step out, her stomach felt heavy.
In the last months, she's spent much of the wealth she was able to gather through her religion on herself.
Specifically, on world-class chefs and ingredients. She felt extremely guilty doing so, as it was wasting resources because of her own weakness.
She was now completely spoiled by the food His Majesty would bring. Normal food one might be able to find in a tavern frequented by commoners felt like dirt.
And the best food this country could offer? The food she's already spent a fortune on? If normal food was dirt, food meant for royalty was stale paper.
Worse yet, every time she ate, she was reminded of the true pleasure of the kind of food which His Majesty would bring her. Every time she ate, it was only because eating was a thing she needed to do in order to survive.
If the best food from her country, which cost a fortune, was like this, what did that imply about the food from the Sorcerer Kingdom? It was probably worth even more. She'd probably been eating away mountains of gold during their dates. Next time, she should refuse the food not only because it is surely a gift she's unworthy of, but because she needs to get used to normal food again.
But this wasn't a time to wallow in self-pity. It was time to make a speech. Her problems were her own, and she brushed them aside.
As she stepped out to the massive crowd, there were many loud gasps. Everyone seemed to stare in silence for a moment. The whole plaza near the center of the capital, and the people watching from their windows, all silent.
She was wearing one of the dresses she received from His Majesty.
Specifically, this was the purple and gold one.
She grew to really like it, since it seemed kind of similar to what His Majesty wore himself.
After discussing this with the Sorcerer King, she agreed that it would probably be a nice mixup, and it did seem to work in making the audience stare in awe.
She spoke with volume-enhancing magic. It started to become a necessity once the crowds became this big and her words had trouble reaching the people on the edges of the filled plaza.
"Greetings! It is I, Neia Baraja! Humble servant to the Roble Holy Kingdom, and of course, to His Majesty the Sorcerer King!"
As the silence was broken by her introduction, the crowd exploded with cheers.
"Before we start, I'm sure many of the regulars have noticed my new attire?"
More cries could be heard.
"Normally, I would proudly wear the armour of the Grand King Buser, one of the leaders of the demi-human invasion, which was slain by His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown with a single spell..."
More cheers.
"But now, I bear another gift from His Majesty! This one is not a symbol of how he saved us from the demi-humans and of his power, but of something else! This is only one of several outfits I received as a gift by His Majesty, and each is valuable enough to be a national treasure! Why? What does such a gift represent? It represents the reward for service! And so, even I, such a lowly servant, was now granted such an unprecedented gift! This is a message to us all! A message I'm sure most already understand! The message that service will be rewarded!"
More cheers, even though she was far from done.
"As you all know, we all already prosper and live only because of His Majesty's boundless glory and kindness! It was him who stopped Jaldabaoth and the demi-human invasion! And it is him who is still giving our country aid to see us rebuild! This, my dear people, is simply a symbol of that! As long as we remain faithful, and as long as we continue to support His Majesty in all the ways we can, this is what awaits us! Safety! Peace! Prosperity!"
More cheers, again.
"This is a very important message that I have delivered to you today, my dear people of the Holy Kingdom! It is because only a few days ago, an announcement was made by both myself and the Holy King! So I'm sure all of you are already aware that the Sorcerer Kingdom has declared war on the Re-Estize Kingdom with our full support! Both my own, and the Holy King's! But I have not directly spoken about the matter publicly, because only now am I truly certain of all the details!
Listen, all! Let me paint a picture of all that has happened, and all that will happen!"
The crowd seemed to quiver in anticipation as she implied she already knew everything that was going to happen regarding this war.
With her being a servant of the Sorcerer King, some even thought such a thing would be obvious.
"This all started when His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown graciously sent a large shipment of grain to our kingdom! Before I continue, may I hear your thankfulness?"
Cheers erupted from the crowd.
"Yes! His Majesty would be happy with you if he were here!"
Even more cheers.
"But then! This shipment would of course have to travel through the lands of the Kingdom of Re-Estize! And almost immediately, the moment the shipment found itself within their borders, it was attacked!"
Most already knew, and so they simply listened with anger in their hearts.
"It would already be disrespectful, nay, very rude to let such a thing happen within their borders! But this was only the start! You see, this attack was no bandits, no rogues! It was the nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom and their men who did this!"
The audience seemed to erupt into pure wrath as shouts and boos were heard. Things such as "kill them all" or "how dare they" were repeated many times.
Neia let this continue for several moments before she spoke again with her hands raised.
"Please, please..."
And not a single sound was heard after.
The audience went silent, entirely transfixed on their prophet, their link with the glorious Sorcerer King.
"I understand your anger, your wrath! I have felt it too, and it is not wrong to feel this way! Not after they stole the food from our starving children's mouths!"
The sounds of rage returned briefly, but she intended to continue, and so she made a gesture of raising her hands above her head only to let them fall down slowly.
As her hands went lower, so did the volume of the crowd.
"And so, what choices were there left? What could one do? You!"
She pointed to someone in the audience. An older looking gentleman.
"What would YOU have done if the aid to your injured ally was stolen by one who pretended to be friendly all along? What would you do? Let's hear it!"
The man roared with anger.
"I would kill them! Kill them all!"
Cheers for the man were heard, combined with people echoing the same sentiment.
"And what about you, young lady? What would you do if you were disrespected, if the lives of those you were protecting were being toyed with for the benefit of traitors?"
A young woman, who looked like she was no older than 15, almost screeched back.
"I would kill! I would demand their heads! All of them!"
The crowd met this with the same reaction as when the older man spoke earlier.
"I see you are all in agreement?"
Cheers erupted as Neia spoke those simple words. The crowd went from anger to cheers in an instant. Her words dictated the mood uncontested.
"Then what I will say will please you! His Majesty the Sorcerer King does not wish for any simple war! This conflict will only end when all the cities of the Kingdom of Re-Estize have been reduced to rubble!"
More cheers. More excitement. It seemed like a never-ending ride. The crowd would not tire, and their hatred would not wane.
She controlled the situation perfectly.
"But this is not all! You see, it seems once again that our glorious lord's kindness and mercy knows no bounds! He promised that the common people would be spared as much as possible, provided they did not resist! Can you even imagine that? Even in a situation like this, even when faced with such disrespect, an attack on his own nation and an attack against us, his allies, he will look for the innocent among them! Is he not the kindest ruler there could ever be?"
Cheers could be heard again.
"Indeed, this is why I came to you wearing a gift such as this! This is the difference between the loyal and the traitors! Between us and them! The people of Re-Estize have not seen the glory of His Majesty, but we have! And so, we are rewarded for seeing the truth! For our loyalty and service to our saviour! Glory to His Majesty! Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!"
The crown repeated her last words endlessly, and with endless passion.
She raised her hands into the air and smiled at the sight before her.
There might've been 10 000 people there, and they were all cheering the same words.
"Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown! Glory to Ainz Ooal Gown!"
It was a truly glorious sight.
She was so happy to be a good servant.
She was so happy to be a good girl.
And she could not make any mistakes now.
Everything she's built up, everything she's done... she had to keep going. She had to never fail.
Only then could she be worthy of being his wife.
...
Neia was kneeling in front of her date.
"Hello, Neia. Rise please."
"Your Majesty..."
Today, she'd refuse the food brought for her.
"Let's sit down."
Before she could steel herself to tell His Majesty that she wished for him to discard the food brought for her, he'd already moved to sit down.
"Well? Is there something wrong, Neia?"
As she stood in place, she looked at today's food, and saw that it was more burgers. The smell hit her nose, and her mind went blank for a bit.
"... Neia?"
Shaken again by the Sorcerer King's question and concerned tone, she found that she could not say the words she needed to say.
She wanted to refuse the food, and request that she is never given it again.
But when it was right in front of her, after she's gone almost completely hungry for two weeks, her determination crumbled.
"It's nothing, Your Majesty."
She sat down, and looked at the food.
Then, she started eating right away.