Neia stood on a small portable podium. She could only take a step or two in any direction. Today she was making her first speech in the city which they knew was going to make for a very difficult audience. The first larger city which could be said to truly belong to the southern part of the Holy Kingdom.

She'd barely started speaking, and yet she already had to rely on her paladins for security.

"Fraud! Liar!"

"What's this woman doing in this city!"

"This is insanity! That creature is undead!"

"She's being mind controlled by that filthy undead!"

"What if she's undead herself! Hiding under illusions!"

"That woman is lying about her accomplishments in the war! She's a fraud!"

"No human would ever worship the undead! She's insane!"

"Shut this filthy whore up!"

"Fraud!"

"Go away, undead worshipper!"

"Heretic!"

In the past, she was grateful for having a number of sceptics within her audience. It allowed her to address their worries and questions directly.

But these weren't honest doubts or questions.

This was a torrent of abuse from those who had no intention of listening to what she said.

If they truly listened, she believed there was no one who could deny His Majesty's greatness.

Therefore, these people simply refused to listen to reason.

They were closed-minded individuals, and so she had to open their minds somehow.

"Please, let's maintain order! Listen to me, for I come bearing-"

"Shut up, undead worshipper!"

"Heretic!"

"Traitor!"

It didn't seem to be working.

Not at all.

She started panicking.

She had to do this.

His Majesty relied on her.

She had to do this.

She couldn't fail him.

… … …

"It seems all is exactly as you anticipated."

The demon smiled.

"Thank you, Lord Ainz!"

Demiurge predicted that if Neia was to speak in a place like that, it was likely that the crowds would in fact have a very negative reaction.

Some would be convinced, but many would come to outright hate the woman and her words now that they were confronted with them directly. There would be even more conflict within the area if there were some who were convinced and the rest weren't.

Seeing that there were now people within the southern half being slowly converted to Neia's faith, the priests of the old faith would start preaching against Neia and Ainz even more, to ensure such things won't happen again.

This will also likely lead to Neia being attacked herself, which will allow them to make a statement condemning their aggression and praising Neia.

And then, they would stage Caspond's murder at the hands of someone from the south and somehow step in and take over the entire Holy Kingdom.

Ainz wasn't sure about how exactly that's going to happen, but if Demiurge was in charge, it was sure to go smoothly.

"By the way, Demiurge."

"Yes, Lord Ainz?"

"I'm thinking of going on a paid vacation soon. I think I'll go take Aura and Mare to that elven forest. I don't know when exactly. In a few weeks, maybe?"

He already planned to do so earlier, but ultimately postponed it for quite some time. He hesitated somewhat because the three elven slaves could not tell him much, but that wasn't the main reason. He also saw Albedo's hard work dealing with the territory where the Re-Estize Kingdom once stood. He decided he'd do his best to help her somehow, but he wasn't particularly successful. Or at all, really.

… … …

Neia felt defeated. She was not entirely surprised by the result of today's speech, but it just didn't feel right.

She thought about the great crowds of the capital, utterly convinced of the glory of His Majesty.

How they cheered and cheered his name.

How they revered him.

She saw the fruits of her labour in front of her, every single day.

Every single day, she was reminded of all she's done.

That she was a good servant.

She didn't realise how much she'd miss those crowds.

Fortunately for her, His Majesty decided to increase how often they'd have dates, at least for now. He predicted that the situation would be discouraging, and wanted to ensure she felt good despite that.

They'll be together again soon, and he promised he'd hug her again.

That was the only good thing about the current situation.

If she really could prove that even places such as this could be made to see his glory, it would all be worth it, but that hasn't happened yet. Never was she met with a crowd which hated her like that. After dressing appropriately for the night, she let herself fall onto her bed. She was tired.

"At least I'm staying at a good inn..."

… … …

"I'm sorry to hear it was hard for you."

Neia didn't feel like she deserved to have His Majesty say those words right now.

She felt like it was her fault that the people here were still refusing to listen.

Even after several days, it felt like there wasn't even a bit of progress.

It felt like she was getting them to turn against her even more, in fact.

There had to be some way to deal with such crowds, but she couldn't manage it.

But right now, she should enjoy the moment. Being embraced by him like this was something she should treasure.

"I'm sure you'll reach them eventually. Things like this just tend to take a while. I don't think it's your fault. I'm very happy that you've come this far."

Perhaps he still felt her unease? Still, hearing those words made it recede for now.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

"I should be the one thanking you, Neia. You've been such a great servant. I'm truly glad to have met you."

She hugged tighter. She was happy.

At least for now, she was completely happy.

\\\

At this point, he wasn't sure that it was a lie. It was great that she was such a big help to Demiurge's plan, but this was something different.

Despite all the lies he'd been telling her, their talks were enjoyable for him in certain ways.

It was the same type of enjoyment one would derive from talking to an equal.

Her feelings toward him had made much of it unpleasant, but part of his acting was talking to her as an equal.

It felt like a necessary break from acting like an almighty ruler, and allowed a certain part of him to relax.

He'd still prefer if he didn't have to deal with her at all, of course.

But it wasn't as bad anymore.

… … …

Neia hasn't been leaving her room considering how things have been going for her recently.

The abuse shouted at her during the speeches was enough.

She felt sorry for those people.

For the ignorant and close-minded.

They did not understand so many important things.

It was her job to make them understand, but they were making it hard.

As she was laying in bed, doing nothing in particular, a loud noise was heard. It was something hitting her window.

As she was pulled out of her thoughts, she listened to the noises outside. There was now something besides the usual noisiness of a city's streets.

There were people shouting.

She went closer to her window, and pulled back the blinds. There were several people gathered in front of the inn.

"Throw that whore out!"

"Fuck that undead's minion!"

"Where's that unholy preacher?!"

She could already see guards coming closer to disperse the crowd.

She didn't hear the crowd before, and with the speed with which the guards stopped them made her think. Considering those two things, the crowd could not have gathered naturally over time, with just one person shouting abuse and other people joining in. This was a dedicated group which agreed to do this with a set time and place.

With how things were going, she might catch a rock or two during one of her next speeches.

"Maybe I've got to take a break? Let them calm down a bit..."

Actually, that seemed to also be a bad idea. It showed them that she could be intimidated. But was that wrong? If they were going out of their way to threaten her, perhaps there was no shame in fleeing this place?

No, she won't stop trying.

She'll just wear a helmet to protect against any rocks that might be thrown her way.

She decided to clear her mind for a while.

Perhaps talking to her people about this was a good idea? They were incredibly loyal and hard-working paladins, who understood exactly how glorious His Majesty was. In other words, the opposite of everyone here.

As she was leaving the room, the man who stood on guards spoke to her.

"Ah, Lady Baraja! Are you going somewhere? There was mail sent to you."

"Hm? Mail? Let me see that first."

"Here. It was just this folded note. Someone handed it over and said it was for you."

She unfolded the piece of low-quality paper and found that it contained just a few sentences.

"Lady Baraja. I've been attending the speeches, and I know it must be hard for you! But please, do not give up! There are many of us who have been convinced, but we remain the minority, so this is an apology for not making ourselves known out there. We are sorry!"

Neia was very surprised by what she just read, but that surprise was soon swept away by a wave of determination.

She has decided.

She must continue.

...

"Well, did you give her the note?"

A Doppelganger stood facing the Floor Guardian of the 7th Floor of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

"Yes, Demiurge-sama!"

"Good. Then return to your usual duties."

As he was left alone in his office, Demiurge felt some amount of pride.

Considering that Lord Ainz has recently spoken to him about the specifics of that Neia Baraja again, he felt this was a time to act.

Lord Ainz taking such an interest in the minute details of one of his plans likely meant there must be problems, or at least great room for improvement.

If his master looked over every detail and found it satisfactory, he'd probably not discuss it as usual. Perhaps this might even be a test.

In truth, Demiurge would not have thought of this plan at all if it wasn't for his master's words.

He had told Demiurge about how the preacher was feeling. That she might be discouraged by the lack of success.

"As expected of the leader of the Supreme Beings!"

There was no one else in the room, but Demiurge felt like he had to shout those words nonetheless.

"For one such as him to take notice of the personal, private feelings of even the lowest of lifeforms! How incredible!"

… … …

"Heretic!"

"Get this piece of shit out of the city!"

"Whore of that undead!"

"Foul woman!"

At this point, Neia had to get her words in by shouting, and the only reason she could be heard was because of the voice-amplifying magic.

"Please! I am just here to speak my mind! I have only the best intentions! I just want to talk to you!"

Though she tried her best to remain calm, some of the comments have been getting to her a little bit.

Those calling her a "whore" or "slut" seemed to have the most power over her.

She wasn't anything like that!

She was a loyal young woman who was saving herself for His Majesty.

Despite everything, she thought about that note she received four days earlier. Somewhere in that crowd, there was someone listening.

This was her duty, and she couldn't stop.

And then, something flew at her from the side.

A rock.

She saw it through the slit in her helmet.

Before it could hit her, it seemed to bounce off of the air, and fell limply to the ground.

She made a note in her head to make sure she thanked His Majesty's invisible servant later.

"Please! There is no need for violence! There is no need to throw stone! I have done nothing to you! I am just trying to speak my mind! Please!"

She looked at the crowd, trying to ignore the constant verbal abuse and see if anyone there looked open to her words.

She could find no such person right now.

"Please, what have I done to you?"

She might have tried to appeal to their decency a bit more, but she noticed that just below, many of the men in the crowd were now getting quite close to her guards, and it looked like things might get physical.

She finished her speech.

"I see I am not welcome. I will take my leave for today, then."

She stepped down and went closer to where the trouble was brewing.

"Excuse me please, we're leaving now. Me and my paladins are leaving."

The troublemakers looked at her, and then back at the paladins. Although they might've been horrible undead worshippers in her eyes, they were still paladins.

They managed to return to the inn without any further escalation.

… … …

"Lady Baraja?"

Neia realised she's spaced out for a bit, lost in both thoughts and emotions.

"Ah, sorry."

She looked at the two men sitting across from her.

They were the two commanders of her group, besides her of course. The man on the left, Deran Verte, spoke.

"Lady Baraja, surely you understand? It is time to leave."

He was right. She knew this. She knew this from the moment a rock was thrown at her.

But she did not want to give the order.

Leaving meant this was the end.

This was all they were going to achieve.

This mission was a task given to her by His Majesty, and he trusted her to do her best.

This was her chance to redeem herself.

Could she really not do any better?

Could she really not push it any further?

She had already given a promise to return safely.

But what if she was being cowardly?

It was just a single rock... surely she could handle a few more.

She looked at the men.

They both had concerned expressions, and one of them looked like he was ready to plead for her to leave. She addressed them by name.

"Deran, Laeryn... do you think I've done all I could? Can I face His Majesty after this? Did I fail?"

The man to the right, Laeryn Amran, responded immediately and forcefully.

"Of course you haven't failed, Lady Baraja! You have made glorious speeches every day, handling the horrid abuse of the crowd flawlessly! It is not your fault they cannot listen!"

"Yes, Lady Baraja. Please see reason... You can't do this any longer. Things might get violent. You must never risk life or limb, Lady Baraja."

They were right.

She knew them to be right.

She had already made the promise, but her fear of failure made her delay what she knew must happen.

She spoke in a completely defeated tone.

"You two... what if this is my fault? What if I've failed here? What if I could've done something better? Can you still respect me even after I fail like this?"

Learyn spoke, almost shouting. There was strong emotion in his voice.

"Lady Baraja! You are a great hero of the war and prophet to the people! You have done more for this country than anyone except His Majesty! You have not failed, but even if you have, such things are not important!"

"It's true, Lady Baraja. Please, you are His Majesty's chosen. You have done nothing wrong, but even if you did, he would surely forgive you for not doing what is basically impossible."

She thought.

Is that true?

Would he forgive her?

No, of course he would.

But would he be displeased? Disappointed?

Would he really love her if she failed like this again? Wasn't she already on her second chance?

She knew what she had to do, and yet it was so hard.

The silence made her think about her failure.

"Yes... you're right."

The two men looked at each other with great relief, and something else. Something she didn't recognize.

"Let's talk to the rest... have them prepare."

They left the room and walked to the other paladins' rooms together. Neia saw that all of them were already preparing to depart at any moment.

She smiled bitterly. It seemed even they understood before she could admit it to herself.

"Well, then. You two, I'll let you deal with all the preparations. I'll... be in my room, I suppose. We can leave tomorrow morning."

Deran responded with a concerned tone.

"Lady Baraja, are you sure you'll be alright? Will you need any help? Please, we are at your service."

"No, I... I think I'll just go to sleep now."

...

As they watched their great prophet turn and leave, they were left alone in the hallway of the inn. The two men looked at each other, and Laeryn spoke in a loud whisper.

"By the Sorcerer King... That could have gone poorly."

Deran had a sour expression on his face as he responded in a tone that had some strange combination of disgust and shame.

"Indeed. I am happy Her Holiness saw reason."

"Hm. It would have been very unfortunate if we had to bring her back with force."

Without Neia's knowledge, her two commanders had already planned all this almost immediately.

On the very first day, when she was met with hatred from the crowd, they had formed a secret plan.

Every man under her command was ready to bring her back safely.

Even if they had to tie her up and bring her against her will.

Even if they would be executed for disobeying after they returned.

Deran spoke again.

"But let's make sure the men don't relax yet. We're still not out of the city. Her Holiness must return unharmed."

In the first place, the members of this group were hand-picked by Neia for not only their abilities, but also their loyalty.

It wasn't that surprising that things like this would happen behind her back.

...

Neia was now alone in her room.

They were going to leave tomorrow.

Feeling a profound sense of defeat and dread, she was utterly emotionally exhausted.

She let herself fall face first onto her bed.

"I hope my love forgives me... I hope he won't be disappointed..."

She couldn't handle the pressure anymore.

She needed to think about something else.

She needed to get away from this all.

She mustered the energy to get up, and she went to change.

"Excuse me, I'll be changing now."

She spoke to the invisible person in the room, who revealed himself and turned around. She still didn't know what exactly he was. He had strange foreign armour, and was apparently a "ninja-type".

When her armour and all the magic items were off, it was time to exchange her shirt and pants for her nightgown.

But when she reached for it, standing in her room alone, with just her underwear to cover her, she wanted some relief.

She wasn't able to get any time to satisfy her urges in a while.

She went to her bed and covered herself in a blanket.

"Excuse me, but can you leave the room altogether?"

"Yes. I will be waiting outside."

The man who could go invisible turned to the door, opened it, and calmly took one single step before going invisible again.

Two men went inside her room immediately.

"Lady Baraja? Are you okay? Who was that? The other servant you spoke of? The invisible man?"

"Yes, I was just going to sleep and sent him off to... do something. Don't concern yourself with that."

"Ah, then we're sorry for disturbing your rest!"

The two paladins left, finally leaving her alone.

She had just a bit of time.

She'd make it special for herself.

...

Neia stood by His Majesty's side as they walked together through his palace in E-Rantel.

It had been so many years since they first met. But now, she did it.

Their wedding ceremony went great, despite only having a few trusted friends and allies.

And now, it was time to celebrate on their wedding night.

The door to their bedroom was opened by a beautiful maid, and closed when they were fully inside.

It was time. They could no longer contain themselves.

They tore each other's clothes away hungrily.

After there was nothing more in the way, they jumped onto the bed.

His Majesty spread Neia's legs and...

...

She made a moan which was louder than she expected.

Even through the wave of pleasure, weakened forms of all the negative feelings from before had made their way into her mind.

Now, alone in her room, the reality of her situation set in again.

Her previous dread was back.

But it was somewhat diminished now. Her fantasies and the release made her relax for just a moment.

But now it was time to get dressed again.

And she had to call that invisible one back in...

… … …

By dawn, Neia's group was already long gone from the city.

She was now eating her breakfast quietly, looking out the window of her carriage.

Dawn was her favourite time of day.

The darkness and cold of night being slowly cleared away by the dim light and warmth... it reminded her of her childhood. When her father would wake her up early, and they'd go out to the forest. And how her mother would be waiting for them when they returned.

She still missed her parents.

It was all so sudden.

She went from a little girl who wanted to become a paladin to this.

The world changed.

She changed.

Would her father recognize his little girl now?

She stared at the grassy plains in silence.

She thought about what would have happened if Jaldabaoth never attacked.

If she became a paladin, going back home to her proud parents.

What would that be like?

The thoughts were overwhelming now.

Nostalgia and grief was a powerful combination.

She didn't have the chance to say goodbye.

Her life was ripped away from her.

Perhaps it was her recent failure which initiated this longing for what was lost.

Perhaps it was just the morning sun.

A tear flowed down her cheek.