Sitting up. About to get off the bed. There was crying. That's all that she knew about the situation.
After sitting there for a few seconds longer, Neia Baraja's mind was finally starting to wake up, though it was apparently lagging far behind the body, which was already working on pulling the blanket off of itself and shuffling in the direction of the little Goddess' weeping. It was still very dark in the room. It must have been very early in the morning. Or very late into the night?
"Ugh... Again?... Lay back down, honey... I'll handle it..."
Satoru's sleepy voice. So nice. Always makes her feel safe and happy. Such a nice, kind voice. Such a nice, kind man.
"Really?"
"Yes... Go back to sleep."
As the king slowly sat up with a yawn, Neia did the opposite, her upper body falling backwards limply before producing a soft thump once it hit the sheets.
"Thank you... love you..."
The last thing Neia remembered was the room lighting up dimly with magical light as a blanket covered her.
...
The offices belonging to Demiurge and his direct subordinates were quite unlike the rest of Nazarick's 7th Floor, providing any visitors some much-needed shelter from its harshness, from its countless rivers of molten rock spewed out by unpredictable volcanoes, from its great rivers housing creatures who scoffed at such scorching temperatures, from air so searing it burnt the lungs of anyone attempting to breathe it without adequate protective measures or natural immunities. A secret gathering was currently being held in these offices, attended by four of a certain group's eight total members.
"... Not at all, woof."
"Good, that's a relief. Then, CZ Delta?"
"... Also nothing to report..."
Demiurge sighed. A lack of available evidence was no cause for celebration, and could merely indicate that they were faced with traitors who hid their true intentions effectively and with cunning.
"I see. Then Mare, did you notice anything?"
"I-I did n-not."
Adjusting his glasses, the great demon nodded. This was only to be expected, after all. The last time their group's activities were truly in full swing was apparently some time before Demiurge had joined, and so he had only witnessed its operations during periods of keeping a low profile and scrutinising others from a safe, discreet distance.
"In that case, I hope you are prepared for today. Remember your duty."
"Y-yes! I w-will do my b-best!"
"Was there anything else?"
Demiurge scanned the room, but his confederates remained silent, their expressions indicating a shared agreement that there was nothing more to discuss right now.
"Very well. I believe it was your turn to go first, Pestonya?"
"Yes, master Demiurge. Woof."
In order to avoid drawing suspicion, the others would now depart the 7th Floor one by one, and as discreetly as possible. While the demon should have returned to his earlier work now, Demiurge found it rather difficult to do so, unmoving from the same place in both body and mind.
Their master's declaration of genuine love for Lady Neia had shocked Nazarick immensely, and must have surely sowed some doubt among the more foolish of the Great Tomb's denizens, something Demiurge knew very well, formerly being one such fool himself. But what was most concerning was not the kind of doubt Demiurge harboured, it was the possibility of such doubt morphing into something that goes above a mere desire to understand, something more akin to outright rejecting Lady Neia and Lady Ayame, something more directly insubordinate.
One needed to think like them to predict their movements, yet now that the demon understood the truth of the matter, it was rather difficult to adopt the same mindset again. Would such people even band together? In what manner would they do so? Who would be most likely to adopt these traitorous ideas?
When not busy with the tasks Lord Ainz had entrusted him with, questions such as these are what Demiurge pondered most.
Nonetheless, the demon was glad that-
"M-master Demiurge?..."
The strategist adjusted his glasses as his mind returned to the present, his subsequent response mostly instinctual.
"Hm? Ah, sorry, Mare. It seems I was lost in thought..."
... ...
The air felt as fresh and clean as it could possibly be, infused faintly with the scents of flowers, carried throughout the area with a weak breeze that caressed Neia's cheeks in a pleasing manner as she walked hand in hand with Satoru through the winding forest paths, their destination ever closer. With a sigh, the angel placed the free hand to her chest, prompting the king to stop and turn in her direction.
"... Love? Everything okay?"
"S-sorry, I'm just a little nervous."
"Oh, don't worry. I'm sure they'll be happy to see you. I already talked to them about that, remember?"
The idea of imposing on children made Neia quite uncomfortable, and was something she wanted to avoid at all costs. It was she who suggested meeting with them again, after all.
It didn't help that Neia wasn't wearing her visor today. As much as the accessory was a reminder of her unattractiveness, the High Priestess had occasionally found herself missing it, finding that its presence could, rather paradoxically, supply her with a rather noticeable deal of confidence.
"Yes, you did... Sorry, I don't know why I'm so nervous."
Releasing Satoru's hand for a moment, Neia shook off both of hers, as one would to rid them of excess wetness. The gesture aided Neia in expelling anxiety from the mind and tension from the body. With a brief and forceful sigh, the priestess spoke again.
"Alright, darling. Let's go."
"We can take a break, if you need one."
"No, let's not keep children waiting."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Alright."
...
Stepping into the large open area of the Amphitheater, Neia could clearly see two small figures standing by at its centre. Not long after, the married pair were themselves spotted, prompting the twins to begin running over with incredible speed. Neia could not resist the urge to wave in their direction as she continued walking. Soon enough, Aura had reached the spouses with a significant lead, at which point she knelt without hesitation.
"Welcome Lord Ainz, welcome Lady Neia! It is a great honour to receive you both as guests today!... Mare?! Hurry up, Mare!"
The young druid was still lagging behind, legs struggling to catch up to his tomboyish sister. Neia adopted a gentle, warm tone.
"Please, it's quite alright. No need to rush."
The angel continued smiling amiably, not allowing the vaguest hint of displeasure into her stance or expression. There really was no need to scold Mare on her behalf. Sprinting over in such a manner was surely unnecessary. A few moments later, the druid arrived and immediately knelt beside his sibling.
"H-hello, Lord Ainz and L-Lady Neia..."
After sighing at her brother's greeting, Aura continued.
"We sincerely hope you will both have a lovely afternoon here, and we're just overjoyed to see you again, Lady Neia! Not that we aren't always overjoyed to see you, Lord Ainz!"
"Y-yes, it's l-like my sister s-says!"
"Mare! Don't just say that you agree! Say something for yourself too!"
"Wh-wha... I, uhm..."
Neia took a step forward.
"Please, let's not argue. I'm just really glad to have you two as my hosts today."
Satoru stepped forward as well before kneeling down.
"That's right. Come now, stand up."
The king gently patted the twins' heads as soon as they obeyed, earning him a happy smile from each. Neia could not help but flap her wings at the sight.
"Aww..."
There was also a second reason for Neia's current excitement. Satoru was always incredibly attractive when he was being good with children.
The king stood up as he continued.
"Okay then, first we'll go see Aura's pets as planned, is that alright with everyone?"
"Uhm... c-could..."
Mare fidgeted nervously, leaning against his staff.
"C-could I come too? I uhm, I w-would like to s-spend as m-much time as p-possible with Lor-Lord Ainz and L-Lady Neia..."
As adorable as the boy's blush was, Neia could not help but feel doubt as to whether Mare was genuinely excited to spend time with them both, or if he only included her in that statement out of politeness.
"Love? Is that alright?"
"Of course!"
"Y-yay!"
With a satisfied nod, Aura took a guiding role.
"Alright! Everyone's waiting this way!"
"Please lead the way, then."
The four began to walk, conversation resuming shortly after.
"Do you remember any of their names, Lady Neia?"
"Uhm... I believe there was Fenn, Quadracile, Gagapur, and... I'm sorry, that was quite a while ago..."
"No, no, that's alright! No need to worry! And it's Gagarpur, but I'm sure all of them would be truly honoured to know you remembered anything at all about them!"
"Hm hm, I see."
… Taking a different exit out of the Amphitheater, the four were met with a flat clearing in the shape of a semicircle, its medium-length grass decorated tastefully with flowers of pastel colours. Amassed close nearby was a group of all sorts of incredible creatures, but Neia barely managed to take in any of their features before Aura called out to them.
"Guys! Come on here!"
The creatures rushed in their direction with frightening speed, spooking Neia somewhat. Once close, the bests began to bow in whatever manner their physical features allowed before Aura began to command them around.
"Hey! Line up better so they can see!... But don't stop bowing while you're doing that! Ugh, you guys..."
The High Priestess observed intently as the creatures moved into place, not only noting their outward appearance, but also getting a sense for how their sometimes entirely unfamiliar bodies moved.
This first initial scan was only preliminary, before Aura would introduce and speak of them all in detail one-by-one.
There was a massive wolf-like creature whose incredibly long fur was as black as the night. This must have been Fenrir, or "Fenn". It moved with great elegance, demonstrating the impressive intelligence Aura spoke of back then.
The peculiar six-legged lizard to Fenrir's left must have been Quadracile, and the massive blue-scaled dragon must have been Hejinmal.
The red lion-like creature sporting incredible-looking armour that was golden in colour was... Berin? Bertin? Beran? Or something like that? Neia could absolutely not recall.
Next to it was the wonderfully named Iris, a dark-scaled lizard that stood on its two massive back legs, while the front two seemed far too short and too far back to be useful in combat, or much of anything really, at least compared to its colossal maw.
There was a beast similar to a bear, though it differed massively in that several of its vital areas were covered by some sort... second skeleton? Except this skeleton was outside the body, not within. Its intimidating claws, seemingly part of this second skeleton, looked about as large as a man's arm. A stray thought made Neia wonder if those claws ever felt cumbersome or otherwise uncomfortable, much like overly long fingernails in humans. Did this beast need them trimmed as well? Well, such a thing would almost certainly have to be done through grinding instead of trimming.
Another fearsome creature felt like a cross between a basilisk and a dragon, or maybe that was merely because those two were already on the angel's mind, since both were also among Aura's pets.
The toad named Gagarpur did not seem as frightening as Neia imagined it, but that was likely just because it was currently bowing, and thus hiding its toothy face.
A creature whose fearsomeness could not be hidden so easily was some sort of massive insect covered sparsely in both massive spikes and separate strands of long, black hair.
To its left was... something confusing. It was kind of like a red-scaled dragon, but warped to possess the shape of a horse, with golden accents adding some variety, most notably represented by the radiantly shining mane.
Finally, it seemed like Fenrir had a sibling. Or perhaps a distant cousin, since this creature seemed more hound than wolf. Either way, its fur was more ordinary in length, and appeared unkempt.
"Uhm, hello everyone!"
Neia waved to the creatures, a bit unsure of how exactly she should be addressing them.
"Alright! Shall we get right to it, Lady Neia?"
"I see no reason to wait."
"Hmmm, but who to start with... Let's have you go first, Fenn!"
The black wolf made its way over with haste, yet great elegance. The High Priestess could not stop a faint "Ohhh" from escaping her lips when faced with such a noble steed, one that would put any warhorse to shame. The angel was once witness to a fellow squire trainee sustaining a serious head injury from falling off his horse, causing Neia's younger self to dread riding for quite a while afterward.
"So, as you know, this is Fenn! Isn't he cool?"
"He certainly is!"
Satoru stepped up to the great wolf while Neia responded, slowly raising a hand towards it. Fenn moved his head closer in response, a clear signal Satoru then acted upon, beginning to pet the creature.
"Could Neia pet it?"
"Of course!"
"Love? Would you like to?"
"Oh, uhm, I'd love to!"
Taking her husband's spot, the mother hesitated for a moment before beginning to slowly raise a hand. Fenn did not move away, or really react at all, and so Neia finally touched the top of his head, though only very gently at first. The beast's fur was pleasant to the touch, being immaculately clean and dry. Neia then escalated from merely feeling the fur to stroking Fenn's neck, and then finally scratching behind the ears and under the chin.
"Uhm, is he enjoying it? It feels like he is."
"Oh, definitely!"
"How nice! I think I really like him... What does he eat and drink?"
"He eats cooked meat and some fruits, and mostly just drinks water. Though he gets treats if he's good!"
"Treats?"
"Oh, they're made here in Nazarick. Just these little things."
The tomboy reached into nothingness and pulled out a small brown object resembling a stylised bone.
"These are really tasty for the pets."
"Ah, maybe... Well, I don't mean to impose if it's not ideal for their diet or training to do right now, but maybe I could try feeding him?"
"Of course, Lady Neia! Here."
Neia gently took the treat from Aura's hand before inspecting it a bit closer. The food item's texture was a bit like unpolished, but quality wood, and its smell was vaguely bacon-like with an undertone of… herbs? Not intending to make Fenrir wait any longer, the angel made sure to hold the treat on one of the very edges.
"Should I hold it like this, or flat on my palm?"
"Like this is just fine."
"Okay… Here, Fenn. Please no biting?"
"Oh, he wouldn't get too excited like that! Right, Fenn?"
Just as Aura finished, Fenrir gently grabbed the treat by the opposite tip, ensuring his teeth stayed as far as possible from Neia's fingers. Afterward, with a quick flick of the head, the treat was fully in Fenrir's mouth. The subsequent chewing produced a crunching sound somewhat similar to that of potato chips.
"Ah, how polite!"
A happily chuckling Satoru wrapped an arm around Neia before she continued speaking.
"What does he usually do? Like… play with? Is that something he does? Does he have toys?"
"A lot of them play with each other, choosing playmates depending on their personalities! Fenn likes Iris, don't you? I also play with them, of course!"
"Ohh, that's very nice. Does that include tricks?"
"Of course! Would you like to see some, Lady Neia?"
The priestess sensed an excitement from the dark elf, one that was both childish and mature at the same, as it was both excitement about playing with beloved pets, but also pride about her work as a beast tamer.
"I'd love to!"
"Alright, alright! Uhm... what do I..."
Aura's uncertainty reminded the angel of Mare just then. With a glance, Neia confirmed that the boy had not really moved from his place, still merely observing from a few steps away.
"Oh, it doesn't need to be something elaborate! Maybe just go for something nice and simple? Not that you need to show me anything in the first place."
"I absolutely should, if that's your wish, Lady Neia! Okay Fenn, how about we... I know! Get back, you'll catch!"
The High Priestess watched Fenrir rush to the edge of the clearing, where he turned around with an alert posture to face his mistress, who reached into nothingness and pulled out a shiny red ball before adopting a stance well suited to throwing.
"Aaannd catch!"
With a step forward, the girl's hand accelerated dramatically, gaining massive speed in the blink of an eye. Where an arm used to be, the surprised Neia could only see a colourful blur. Scrambling to track the ball, the archer's gaze scanned along the expected trajectory, but only managed to intercept the object as it was just about to enter Fafnir's open maw. With a strange squeak-like sound, the wolf's teeth firmly locked the toy in place.
"Good job! Come on now, give!"
Fenn rushed towards his mistress, elegance matching speed despite the somewhat absurd reality of such a mighty creature playing fetch. Upon his arrival, Fenrir gently placed the object into Aura's outstretched hand before stepping back again.
"Uhm, I hope that was cool... Maybe it would've been better to show off the obstacle course for a proper show of agility and strength..."
Neia sensed the child's excitement about the tricks turn into uncertainty as to whether or not they would be deemed impressive enough by someone she did not know as well, and so the angel decided to clap as she spoke.
"Oh, not at all! That was very impressive! A great show of reflexes and speed! And it's clear how much trust, understanding and coordination there is between you and him, so I'm of course also impressed by the skills of his trainer!"
"Th-thank you!"
The elf's blush forced several satisfied wing flaps out of Neia.
'She's so cute!'
"What's a brief list of other things he can do?"
"Oh, all sorts of stuff! He can fetch, give paw, roll over, sit, stand, track by scent, he's of course a great steed, and then there's all his combat skills, and a lot of other stuff!"
"Hmm, I wonder how it is riding him compared to a horse."
"You can try for yourself, of course!"
"Oh, uhm..."
Neia chuckled.
"I'm in a dress, not really something I can ride in."
"Right, but you can still at least sit on him for a bit! With your legs together and hanging from one side and all that? Uhm, that's how Shalltear always describes proper ladylike riding, and complains when she can't do that."
"Still, I wouldn't wish to trouble you with that."
"Trouble? Why would that be troublesome?"
"Well, I meant it as in... Nevermind. Would it really be okay?"
"Of course, Lady Neia!"
"Alright, thank you! Fenn is quite tall though, isn't he? Uhm, maybe a stool or-"
"Oh, I know. Come on, honey."
The High Priestess turned her head to see Satoru moving to kneel down beside her. Then, with one swift movement, the king picked Neia up in a bridal carry, causing her to involuntarily produce a sound best described as a squeak, something that obviously amused her beloved to no end, his laughter deepening Neia's embarrassment and further reddening her cheeks.
"Hey! Not funny!"
It most definitely was to Satoru, who kept on laughing harder than before.
"Hahahaha-... ha. Uhm, let's go."
Suddenly, as if remembering something deeply unpleasant, Satoru's laughter stopped, tone turning cold. No, worse than cold. Annoyed? Did something happen? Was Satoru just informed of something through that spell? Neia was worried, but before she could say anything, the God was already in the process of placing her atop Fenrir's back.
"W-wait."
"Hm? Is something wrong, honey?"
"Uhm... I'm not sure. Is anything wrong?"
"I don't think so?... Well, definitely nothing pressing."
Though she only had her husband's tone to go off of, Neia concluded she should let this go, at least for now.
"I see. That's good."
The High Priestess slowly moved her face closer, until her lips reached Satoru's cold teeth, which she happily gave a single, long kiss. Then came the rubbing their cheeks together, something Neia did with a smile. Once finished, the angel glanced back at the elven twins, only to find them covering their eyes with melodramatic gestures, as if shielding themselves from the sight of their kiss was something their lives depended on.
"Oops... Was that too much, darling?"
The king sighed.
"I'm sorry, Aura, Mare."
"S-sorry? Uhm, why sorry, Lord Ainz?"
"Huh? Aren't you covering your eyes because that was too much romance for you?"
"A-aren't we supposed to not look when you and Lady Neia do... uhm, p-private adult things?"
"Ah, no- I mean yes! B-but it's just that a kiss doesn't really count as that..."
The twins stopped covering their eyes before nodding in understanding.
...
"Give paw!"
The frost dragon Hejinmal stood frozen as he observed the exchange below, tortured by an itch on his nose, yet paralysed by fear.
But not paralysed in the sense that he could not move at all, regardless of how much he wanted to. Rather, Hejinmal's stillness was self-imposed. The dragon did not dare bring any attention to himself, for attention invited scrutiny, and the idea of scrutiny coming from any of those three was utterly horrifying. And so, Hejinmal aimed to be as still and silent as a statue, moving only when ordered to and avoiding eye contact.
First, there was of course his mistress. If Aura Bella Fiora decided the dragon was reflecting poorly on her abilities as a beast tamer when she was trying to impress guests, it would obviously not end well for him.
But even worse was the next person, his mistress' master, and one of the two people Aura was entertaining. The dark elf will undoubtedly have an extremely high standard for his performance when its observer was the undead God, who was her absolute master, and seemingly somewhat of a beloved father figure...
And it somehow got even worse from there.
The final person was the wife of his mistress' master. Their love for each other was palpable from the moment Hejinmal set his weak eyes on the pair, their tone alone more affectionate than anything the frost dragon could ever imagine being exchanged between his parents, and that was even without mentioning the other things they did just earlier. Seeing Ainz Ooal Gown act so sweet and gentle… His wife must have truly stolen his heart, despite the man being undead. And so, Gown will undoubtedly possess an extremely high standard for his spouse's enjoyment.
Today, Hejinmal would have to impress Neia Baraja to an extent that would satisfy Ainz Ooal Gown highly enough to satisfy Aura Bella Fiora.
In order words, Hejinmal was fucked.
Well, maybe not entirely. In this mess of insurmountable expectations stacked upon insurmountable expectations, there was an unknown variable. Neia Baraja herself. It was entirely possible that the fabled war hero, the High Priestess and de facto Saint-Queen of the Sorcerer Kingdom would be easily impressed enough for Hejinmal and his unathletic self to muster something skillful-looking. At least he had time to think carefully about what he could say and do and-
"-nmal? Hejinmal!"
It was the voice of his mistress.
'Wait, what? Already? Oh no. Oh Gods. Wait. Calm down. It's alright. You're a dragon. Dragons are cool, right? Just look down, and-'
"Eek!"
A pathetic noise escaped the dragon's throat. Why was Baraja looking at him like that?
"Hejinmal! What are you doing! Come on, hurry up and step closer! Are you going to make Lord Ainz and Lady Neia wait?!"
Hejinmal's body refused to move. This time, he was truly paralysed by fear. Did he already manage to piss Baraja off?
"Ugh... Come! Now!"
Just like that, the dragon's body moved on its own. Aura's command just then was the first one issued through something Aura called class skill, and thus absolute. When faced with something like that, Hejinmal was closer to a simple puppet than an individual, his body merely acting out the elf's will.
"Sorry, I don't know what's wrong with him... Hejinmal! Explain yourself!"
"I... I..."
"Huh? Speak louder and clearer!"
A second absolute command.
"I uhm... I was... I apologise, I was s-simply too e-excited to meet Y-Y-Your Holiness!"
Hejinmal bowed until his head was planted firmly on the ground, almost pressing a hole into it.
"Is that so? Thank you! That's quite surprising, honestly."
The undead king interjected before Hejinmal could barrage everyone with more apologies, or wonder why the priestess' tone seemed so much less hostile than her gaze.
"Yes, Hejinmal was always... excitable. I'm just glad that one time didn't repeat..."
"Hm? That one time?"
"Oh, uhm, Nevermind that. I suppose I could explain later?"
Following a brief moment of silence, the tomboy ordered her dragon again.
"Come on Hejinmal, raise your head and tell Lady Neia about yourself."
The first part was something the frost dragon obeyed immediately, but...
'Talk? About myself?! Aura isn't going to do it this time?! Oh no... What do I say?! What did Aura say about Fenrir? No, this silence was becoming too much! I have to say something quickly!'
Attempting to make eye contact before speaking, the dragon was once again met with a horrifying stare that did not match the woman's gentle voice. This time, Hejinmal did his best to not be rude and maintain eye contact.
"Aaa! Uhm, hello! I'm Hejinmal! I'm a frost dragon! My scales are blue!"
Unfortunately, what came out was completely idiotic. Baraja looked up at him with that horrifying glare for a few more seconds before nodding vigorously.
"I see!"
"I... I..."
'Aura spoke about food and treats, didn't she?'
"I eat... Just about everything! I eat a lot, because I'm big... Uhm, compared to the rest... Very big!"
Baraja merely nodded again, expression unchanging.
"And... treats like that don't make as m-much sense for me, because they're so small..."
The Queen nodded for a third time before turning to Aura.
"Hejinmal… He's a bit special, isn't he?"
"Special? Ah, yes! He's kind of a special frost dragon. How could you tell?"
"Oh, nevermind that. So, what do you do for fun, Hejinmal?"
"Uhm, I r-read books!"
"Ah, impressive! What sorts of books?"
"I- uhm, all sorts of books! About the world, and also fiction too!"
"I see. Well, perhaps it's time to move on to the next pet?"
'Huh? Already?'
A great wave of both relief and confusion washed over the frost dragon.
... ... ...
"Come on in!"
Aura beckoned the spouses to follow through the rather small doorway with a smile before taking a few steps deeper in, assuming a place next to Mare. Taking one last look at the great tree's exterior, Neia wondered what sort of decor awaited her inside. While lowering her head and turning the rest of her body a bit to the side in order to squeeze in without rubbing against the doorframe, Neia felt a faint twinge of unease at not being able to appear as ladylike and elegant as possible in front of Satoru.
Now that the angel had fully stepped inside, she felt that what was visible of the interior fit the exterior perfectly. At first glance, the wooden walls, floor and ceiling were seemingly carved from the tree without any sort of nailing or adhesion, meaning that everything except the movable furniture was a single, solid piece. A spiral staircase led somewhere upward, while doors stood on each side of it.
"Ohhh..."
After letting out a quiet noise of mild awe, Neia focused her gaze to the furniture itself. Upon closer inspection, it also seemed quite extraordinary. No two pieces were quite the same, all seemingly the products of tree branches naturally growing into the shapes of objects one would require in a household, the only required step being to harvest them. Another peculiar property of the home was the presence of small "windows" and the light they let in. From the outside, it did appear as though there were a few occasional holes in the tree, but now it was obvious that there was a great amount of them, most likely painstakingly placed to be as difficult as possible to spot from the outside while letting in enough light to illuminate the entire home sufficiently, with some "windows" even being large enough to allow quite a comfortable view of the surroundings.
Neia's initial scanning of the residence was interrupted by the sound of footsteps on wood. Turning around, the High Priestess was met with the rather comical sight of her husband's towering skeletal body performing an impressive feat of contortionism in order to fit inside the doorway. The entrance hall was not much better, as its ceiling was just barely high enough for Neia to stand upright, and so Satoru had to bend over quite a bit. After closing the door behind himself, Satoru addressed the twins.
"Let's sit down as soon as possible, please."
"Yes, Lord Ainz! The kitchen is right through here!"
The four proceeded into the next room, where two maids immediately bowed before speaking with their heads still lowered, all in fairly close sync.
"Greetings!"
The incredibly attractive women stood by a square table near the centre of the room. Upon it, a celebratory feast's worth of sushi and complimentary condiments waited for the four arrivals. There was maki, temaki, sashimi, nigiri, onigiri, oshizushi, gunkan maki, temari... As expected, Neia's mouth began watering rather quickly at the sight.
The angel was brought back to the present with the maids' synchronised bow in response to Satoru saying something to them, after which they hurried to the adjacent room, where they would remain on standby.
The four moved to sit down, with Neia having Aura to her left, Mare to her right, and Satoru across the table. Meals that could be enjoyed to their fullest at room temperature were ideal for tables where a good deal of conversation was expected, and sushi was of course one such meal. Neia addressed the others with a smile.
"Shall we eat a bit before getting into the discussion? I would like to do so, if that's okay with everyone."
"Of course, Lady Neia!"
"A-as Lady N-Neia wishes."
Satoru took a few seconds to notice that everyone else was looking to him for approval.
"Hm? Ah, of course. I, an undead, can't just keep you guys from satisfying hunger, can I?"
"Thank you. Then enjoy the food, you two!"
"Thank you! You too, Lady Neia!"
"Y-yes, you t-too, Lady Neia, and tha-thank you..."
Stealthily licking her lips, the angel hurried to grab a pair of chopsticks and decorate her plate with a good variety of everything that was waiting at the table's centre. Only after beginning to chew on her first piece of the delicious symphony of seafood, rice and seasoning did Neia begin to worry if the twins would be able to comfortably reach the platters from their seats, or if they would need the help of someone taller.
Fortunately, the twins were still incredibly powerful creations of the Supreme Beings, and upon looking back up, Neia found them both simply holding themselves up by a single hand placed on their respective edge of the table, their entire upper body free to move, allowing them to reach anywhere they wished and transfer pieces to their plates with both agility and confidence. Neia chuckled happily with a full mouth, both because of the impressive display by such cute children, and the relief of being spared anyone noticing how inconsiderate she was just now.
... After a bit of time spent eating, when the High Priestess' craving for culinary delights subsided at least somewhat, Neia shifted her gaze to Mare, this time not to merely gush about how he cute he looked while eating, but to wait for him to finish chewing before initiating conversation. The boy sensed this quickly, at which point he started looking a bit guilty, as if afraid he had done something wrong. Neia quickly corrected her neutral expression into a warm smile, something that breathed relief into Mare's expression and body language, returning it to normal. Once the druid swallowed, Neia addressed him with a gentle tone.
"Mare? Would you like to discuss the book now, or...?"
"Oh, uhm... If th-that's w-what Lady N-Neia wishes."
"Don't worry, you can focus on food if you want to eat your fill first."
"N-no, i-it's okay!"
"Well, if you're sure, maybe we could go through it chronologically, so that the others also get something out of it without just being confused about us jumping around the timeline?"
"O-okay..."
Neia was quite eager to find out all about Aura's pets and see them in person, but since Mare would almost certainly feel left out without there also being an activity more aligned with his passions, the spouses thought up the idea of a book discussion over a nice dinner. After approaching Mare with the idea, he and Neia eventually agreed to read a popular romance and drama novella from the Baharuth Empire. Neia was anxious that the boy might've felt forced to read this book simply because it matched her tastes, but apparently he was actually very open to venturing into less familiar genres every once in a while, especially since it would help him better understand and connect with his master's wife.
"So, the prologue where Iva's father died and the prince came to the village..."
Satoru seemed to jerk ever so slightly at Neia's words. Judging from how Aura shifted her gaze to him as well, the angel probably didn't just imagine it. Seeing both the girls in the room do so, Mare looked to Satoru with confusion.
"Ah... Iva... Is there a noble named Stafi later on in this book?"
How did her husband know that?
"Huh? Darling?"
"I uhm, it seems I happened to have read this one myself a while back."
Neia blinked rapidly in an instinctive attempt to clear the haze of surprise before responding.
"Darling? I didn't know you read romance! Or, well, fiction in general!"
The angel's mild shock turned into excitement, but Satoru seemed quite embarrassed for some reason.
"I... never mentioned it, did I?"
Satoru pretended to be unsure, but at least to Neia, that lie was not convincing at all, the tone of those words almost theatrical. With a sigh, the king continued.
"I uhm... Well, it is rather embarrassing in retrospect, but back when I was new to romance and first fell in love with you, Neia, I uhm, I read a lot of advice about dating, as well as how it went fiction so I could get a better idea of uhm… of how to be a better boyfriend..."
"..."
\\\
... But there was only silence. Neither Neia nor the twins seemed to react at all to his explanation.
And then, mild panic set in as Neia's mouth crept open ever so slightly in surprise, the rest of her body as still as the silence of the kitchen.
'Oh god. That really was closer to just sounding pathetic than being an amusing story, wasn't it?'
No one wished to be the spouse of someone who embarrassed themselves in front of hosts. Scrambling to think of something to say, Satoru coughed into his fist despite having no lungs.
'Okay, sooo... I suppose I'll have to salvage this by pretending it's a joke? Or maybe-'
Suddenly, Neia's entire body language changed. With a newly straightened posture, she put a hand to her heart, expression morphing into a rare combination of shocked and overjoyed.
'Huh? Did I not fuck up, after all?'
"Tha... That's so sweet, darling... That's so sweet..."
Each word carried within itself an incredible amount of raw emotion. Of love. Neia's wings finally got brave enough to begin flapping, doing so with a speed and force that could fool one into thinking she was trying to take off and fly away. The High Priestess's tone did not change as she continued.
"Gods, that's so sweet of you! And so... uhm, cute, if I may use that word!"
Neia hastily sprung up from her chair and outright ran over to him, throwing herself into Satoru's arms, and so the two embraced.
"I love you, darling!"
"Ah, I love you too, honey. I'm uhm, glad that this impressed you so much... Honestly, when you fell silent, I feared it might've been more embarrassing than sweet..."
"Not at all! It's absolutely breathtaking how thoughtful you are, darling."
With an internal smile, Satoru began to gently caress Neia's scalp.
"Thoughtful, huh? Well, you just make it hard to think about anything else sometimes, you know?"
The two shared a happy chuckle.
But soon enough, emotional suppression activated, all that love and cheer disappearing without warning, leaving the king hollow.
But only for a moment. Irritation came soon after.
'This is the second time today. Maybe I should just reveal my human form to Nazarick at this point. I'm sure a lot of them have already put two and two together. At least those aware of the item definitely must have. I get my hands on a temporary and consequence-free way of changing races and then suddenly Neia gets pregnant? Those two definitely know, and so do the rest of the geniuses, almost certainly. Would it really be that bad if I just...'
No, maybe he shouldn't get complacent. If nothing else, revealing and openly flaunting a form which only Neia was ever allowed to see and enjoy might just feel like twisting the knife he had already plunged into the hearts of so many in Nazarick. Satoru's risky combining of the Staff of Ainz Ooal Gown and Shooting Star might've erased their romantic feelings for him, but this could only stop their pain, not take back the disgustingly callous betrayal that caused it in the first place. Regardless of how flawless the loyalty of the Tomb's denizens might've been in Yggdrasil and in their flavour text, this was not Yggdrasil anymore. The NPCs were living people now. People who could learn, people who could change and think for themselves.
Even if things looked decidedly stable now, it would probably be quite a long time until Satoru would truly regain the NPCs' sincere and full trust after a betrayal like that. Until then, the former salaryman would have to play it safe. Keep Neia away from everyone in Nazarick except those Satoru already knew he could trust, pay attention to everyone's wishes, and keep lies to an absolute minimum.
Suzuki Satoru intended to do better than the spineless coward who called himself Ainz Ooal Gown.
Looking down after an admittedly lengthy period of rumination, the proud husband met his beloved's gaze. Her radiant smile, the love in her gorgeous eyes, the way her wings flapped happily along, the pink of her cheeks, the smell of the flowery perfumes she always used, the way her breasts pressed against him during embraces like these, the way her golden hair felt between his fingers… Neia was just so… perfect. And Satoru really was extremely lucky.
They were making Aura and Mare wait right now, but he can enjoy this moment for just a bit longer.
…
Hello. Author person here. Thank you very much for reading!
Oops, this ended up being one of those chapters that doubled in length as I was writing it. Doesn't help that I needed to take some time off for the sake of my health. I am sorry it took a while again. I really need to get better at properly estimating how much time a chapter might take…
Either way, I hope to release the next one ASAP! Don't forget to tell me what you think of my work, or if you have any suggestions!