Albedo knocked on the door to Demiurge's office.
He was waiting for her inside, and requested her presence for an unspecified reason.
"... enter."
His voice seemed profoundly exhausted and without any life whatsoever, which made her hesitate briefly before she reached for the door handle.
When she stepped inside, she saw this Floor's Guardian sitting down, supporting his head with his hand, which was itself resting against the table.
This was grounds for scolding him, as he was disrespecting his Overseer, but something was clearly very wrong here.
She approached the table, and he remained unmoving even as she stood right in front of it.
"Demiurge. What did you want to talk about?"
He remained completely still for a few more seconds before sluggishly picking up a piece of paper and handing it to her, all without even looking in her direction.
She took it from his hand forcefully, impatient to finally figure what the hell was up with him.
As she read, her expression twisted into one of burning rage.
"THAT FILTHY WHORE! WHERE IS SHE?! I'LL GO MAKE HER SUFFER MYSELF!"
Demiurge's expression changed for the first time, to a very weak smile.
"Haha... that's the same reaction I had... Lord Ainz called me a moron for it."
Although still furious, she was now also overtaken by confusion.
"W-what the hell! What are you talking about?! Demiurge, explain yourself!"
He very slowly breathed in, and then out, while finally moving his head to face her.
"... Lord Ainz was the one who had those statues built."
"W-what the hell are you saying?! T-this is nonsense! Lies!"
"... You can ask him yourself... it seems there are many things we failed to account for, the both of us..."
"W-what do you mean? Is this really part of his plan?!"
"... Of course... say, do you know about that other layer to Baraja's importance?"
She hesitated.
"... N-no... what is it?"
Another smile appeared on his face, but it was still an incredibly weak one.
"Ah, so you didn't know?... That's good, I feared I was a lone fool in this... Now, isn't it obvious that even with everything we discussed, Lord Ainz's treatment of that woman is still far too favourable?"
"Yes... it does feel like that..."
"I was thinking about it on my own, and I believe she is... a prototype of sorts. He must be giving her so much attention because he is experimenting with the true depths of human loyalty, and how to most efficiently draw it out as he prepares many more like her."
Her eyes widened briefly as things made just a little bit more sense.
She is just the first of many?
"But... this report about the statues is madness, even then!"
"... yes... even with that, we seem ignorant to the grand plans which he is confident in achieving by using religion as a tool..."
He then sighed with pain, and his subsequent tone was not only lifeless, but also full of regret and shame.
"Still, the main reason I wanted us to talk here today is because of what Lord Ainz had said to me. It was an order to all in Nazarick. He was furious with my initial reaction to the point where he believes we are too ignorant to involve ourselves with this matter in the future, no matter what. We are to never interfere with his operations regarding Neia Baraja... even if something like this happens, something that may seem like outright betrayal."
Albedo furrowed her brows.
Her previous plans to punish that human were already next to impossible, but this... she might just have to give up altogether...
Well, at least Demiurge was the one to face her husband's wrath, and not her. For this, she felt grateful to him in a weird way.
... ... ...
Neia was sitting alone in the meeting room of her mansion, trying to do some more work while waiting.
She was just a bit concerned about what happened yesterday, when Ainz suddenly wanted the two of them to do that together, and right before a speech… He ended up saying that the thing which upset him back then wasn't anything she should worry about, but was that really the case?
And then, she finally heard knocking. It seemed the man she was waiting for arrived a little early, which she expected.
"Your Holiness? Sir Montagnés is here."
"... I'm ready to receive him."
As the door was opening, she pushed the ink and documents away a bit, and readjusted her visor. She then turned back to the door, and saw the current Captain of the paladin order, who was in the middle of a deep bow. The sight of him brought back many memories, both ugly and beautiful. The horrors of the demi-human invasion, the beauty of the early stages of love… it all rushed through her at once, giving her pause for just a moment.
"Your Holiness..."
His words helped her snap out of it, and she could instantly tell that he was quite uneasy.
"Greetings, Sir Montagnés. Please sit down."
He spoke as he moved to do so.
"Please, you may call me whatever you wish."
"Is Gustav alright, then?"
"Naturally."
"Thank you. Now, we did have something to talk about, but... well, as I mentioned in the letter, I was also curious if it would be fine to talk in a more personal manner. Is that fine with you?"
"Of course, Your Holiness."
"Thank you... in that case, how is the order?"
"There's been some who feel a lack of purpose, with us no longer being the defenders of our homeland."
"Ahhh... that's unfortunate... But how long has it been since we last spoke like this? When I was still a squire? It does feel nostalgic..."
"Yes, I suppose."
"... Gustav? You seem uneasy. Is there something wrong?"
"W-well..."
He inhaled deeply.
"It's just that... Your Holiness... I hope there is no friction between us because I was previously your superior, and because of... well, any personal issues you might have with how I acted during that time..."
Just as she was about to ask him what he meant exactly, he suddenly spoke again.
"N-no, that's not right... I'm sorry for beating around the bush."
He bowed deeply, his head almost touching the table.
"I am sorry for not stepping in more when the former Captain was like that towards you..."
"Oh no, it's... well, I'm glad you did at all. You didn't need to, but I am grateful that you did. Please raise your head."
"Of course. She was... well, unfair to you."
She chuckled.
"Yeah, you could say that..."
A pause then followed.
"... Your Holiness? I also want to congratulate you. For accomplishing so much... and also about being happily married."
"Thank you."
"It's... quite surreal to see someone I once knew as a squire rise to the top of this world... N-not that I had thought poorly of you before!"
"Ah, it's not really like I'm at the top myself... Me and darling married out of love... I still don't really see myself as being that important."
"You're too humble, Your Holiness."
She didn't respond at first, instead letting the pleasant atmosphere fill the room for a time.
"... Would you prefer if we got to the business now?"
By business, she meant the official reason for this visit. It was regarding the upcoming final wave of integration for the northern Holy Kingdom, and how the paladins will continue to aid in the creation of propaganda.
"Only if you wish, Your Holiness."
... ... ...
Ainz was sitting in his office on the 9th Floor, staring at the ceiling.
Things had really taken a turn yesterday, with the Demiurge situation...
As much as he wanted to, he felt like he couldn't just let it be, or it might turn into a problem.
And so, he was now waiting.
There wasn't anyone else here now, so he felt fine just letting himself get lost in his thoughts.
What was Neia doing right now? Hopefully she was having fun, or something like that…
He was also just thinking about… just her. Her gorgeous face, her beautiful body, her cute voice…
Since yesterday had given him somewhat of a spook, he had also increased her security to include even more Hanzos, Kashin Koji, and others. This should make her basically untouchable, but even if it didn't, he was to be contacted immediately at any sign of danger.
Just then, he heard a knock.
"... Lord Ainz?"
"Come in, Demiurge."
He could already tell from the demon's tone, but his complete lack of energy or motivation was now very obvious, with the way he opened the door and walked over.
Ainz felt just a little guilty about being responsible for Demiurge's current state. He didn't really know about religious imagery being so sensitive before Neia explained it to him, which was of course after the first statues were already built.
Still, that guilt always disappeared completely whenever he remembered Demiurge's words. The thought of Neia having terrible things done to her was profoundly disgusting, and even more saddening.
The demon then bowed, which was his only gesture which had some amount of life in it, though it was still not at all comparable to his usual self.
"... Raise your head. Do you know why I called you here?"
"... I do not, Lord Ainz."
"It's because of your recent... well, lack of understanding of the situation with Neia Baraja. It seems this event, or rather my subsequent scolding, has left you quite... drained. Or am I wrong?"
"... You are correct, Lord Ainz."
"In that case, I would like to ask what lesson you learned from it."
He seemed to wince, as if from pain.
"... I learned how foolish it was of me to assume I had any chance to understand your plans, particularly the long-term ones."
He sighed internally.
"Well, I just wanted to tell you not to worry too much. I must say, I was being too harsh. I still very much value all the great work you do here at Nazarick. Even if you made a mistake in the form of a rushed presumption of guilt, mistakes are unavoidable to some extent. Even I make mistakes, of course. I've made countless of them. But what's truly important is the ability to learn from them. So instead of some self-pity about you being inferior to my own level of intellect, you should try to learn something actually useful from this."
"... I... yes, of course, Lord Ainz."
He felt that some vigour was slowly returning to Demiurge's tone, but not much.
"Well, I suppose that's what I wanted to say... just don't forget what I also said back then. The matter of Neia Baraja is a very sensitive one, so sensitive that it's best I handle it without outside interference."
"... Of course. I had already spoken to Albedo and had her inform everyone who may find themselves in circumstances where they might make such mistakes."
"Hm. Good work."
He went through his mental notes one more time to make sure he didn't have anything else he wanted to say.
"I think that's everything. You may leave."
Demiurge bowed deeply.
"Yes, Lord Ainz."
Just then, someone else knocked.
"My beloved?"
It was Albedo.
Ainz sighed deeply.
After what happened yesterday, he really felt like he had enough of Nazarick...
And then, he suddenly got an idea.
"Wait, Demiurge. Now that I think about it, I want you to prepare a letter to El-Nix. I have an idea for an... uhm... well, I think I could hit two birds with one stone..."
He turned his head to the door, and raised his voice as he spoke to Albedo through it.
"One moment, Albedo."
This was not something she needed to hear.
"So, Demiurge, I wanted to visit Baharuth to personally verify a few things, and generally see our progress there for myself, but I want a good excuse for it, as I do not want them to suspect what I am trying to do. And so, perhaps taking Neia Baraja there could be that excuse? Pretend I'm taking a vacation with her?"
... ... ...
Desmond Custodio was sitting on the ground outside, in the clearing where he would normally train.
But he couldn't bring himself to do so right now.
He couldn't bring himself to do anything at all.
He scarcely felt worse in his entire life.
What Her Holiness told him about his aunt... he didn't tell anyone. He couldn't. He just pretended the meeting went well.
To think the Custodio name was detested by Neia Baraja herself...
He wanted to live up to the honour of her aunt, but what was there to live up to? Being a heretic who dared be antagonistic towards Her Holiness?
What a joke...
... ... ...
She breathed in deeply, completely focused on the target, which was 80 metres away.
And then, she released the arrow. It flew through the air at speeds lower than she was used to at this point, considering her practice with the great bows given to her by Ainz.
"Hmmm. That looked pretty good."
"You think?"
Neia was currently doing some archery with her father, with Emma standing by to watch and carry supplies. They were doing a bit of a competition, but only in the loosest sense of the word, as they didn't keep track of their performances, and were just focused on having fun.
She was using a common bow which was not really special at all, except for having a very high draw weight. It seemed her strength slowly kept increasing ever since her transformation, and the ease with which she was able to draw it was the proof.
The three of them then started walking towards the targets in pleasant silence.
When they reached their destination, they found that both her and Pabel hit the centres of their respective targets once again. This made Emma clap, and her father look at her with a smile.
"Good job, Neia."
"Thank you. But... I think it's time we ended it here."
"Right... you said you'll be meeting Pandora's Actor?"
... ...
Neia was standing in front of her mirror, adjusting her hair one more time before Ainz would finally arrive. It was now longer than it has been in a long time.
Feeling that it looked as good as it could, she went over to wait for him.
Just a bit later, he appeared.
"Darling!"
She stepped closer to hug him, burying her face in his chest, with her wings flapping about quickly.
"... Hello, Neia..."
Sensing the obvious unease in his voice, she pulled away to look up at him.
"Ainz? Is everything okay?"
"N-no, I... it's about the last time we met. When I... in the backstage, before the speech..."
"Yes?... What about it?"
"I... I want to say I'm really, really sorry. I was too pushy and... I really took advantage of you then, didn't I?"
"W-what?! N-no, that's not the case at all! I did enjoy it, but even if I didn't, a good wife should give her husband what he wants, right?"
"What?! No, that's not right at all! A husband shouldn't make his wife do anything she doesn't want to!... Look, I was too pushy back then. That's just how it is. It might've turned out well in the end, but I was wrong to act like that."
"W-well... okay..."
"... Will you forgive me?"
"O-of course!"
"Ah, I'm happy to hear that..."
He then started stroking her cheek, which quickly made her wings go back to flapping around.
With a smile, she in turn started stroking his exposed ribs.
"... Still, I feel it is only appropriate that I make it up to you."
"You don't need to at all."
"Too late. I already arranged for a trip to the Baharuth Empire."
She widened her eyes, and froze up for just a second.
"W-wait, really?"
"Of course. You once said that you always wanted to visit when you were younger, because your father told you about how advanced of a nation it was. I thought it was about time you finally did."
"That's... thank you, darling! I'll be happy to finally see it for myself!"
"Oh, and I'll be coming along too. It should make for a nice vacation for both of us, hm?"
"Yes! I can't wait!"
She hugged him tighter, and once again buried her face in his chest.
... ...
The two of them were walking through Nazarick, holding hands lovingly.
She was always happy to be there. Knowing the place's history and what it meant to him, it was quite special even to her.
When they were reaching the otherwise unremarkable door, Ainz stopped and stood there for a bit.
He only went to open the door after sighing. She didn't know why exactly he might have mixed feelings about her meeting with Pandora's Actor, but this wasn't the time to question that.
When they both stepped through, her wings started flapping about wildly as she saw their son.
"Mutter, Vater... How glad I am to see you again!"
"Hello, Pandora's Actor!"
"Hm. Hello. I suppose I don't really have much to say, so I'll leave two to it."
"Goodbye for now, darling!"
"Have fun, Neia."
With Ainz leaving back through the door, she was left alone with her son. And so, she moved over to hug him.
...
"... yes, the work in the treasury can get a bit monotonous sometimes. But don't worry, serving Nazarick is what I was created for!"
"Ah... to think the gold isn't even what's considered truly valuable there... it's a bit hard to think about."
They then sat in silence for a little while.
There was one thing which she also wanted to ask, but it required her to gather a bit of courage.
And so, she breathed in deeply.
"... Pandora's Actor?... uhm, I hope this does not offend you, but... may I ask what species you are?"
It felt a bit strange that Neia didn't even know.
"Ah… I am sorry, mother, but... Father has forbidden me from telling you. This knowledge could compromise the safety of Nazarick."
"T-that's... I..."
Not only was this of course surprising to her, but she found that she was quite uncomfortable with it.
Her husband keeping things from her like this felt quite terrible, especially when it was regarding their son...
"... mother?"
"Oh, sorry... Uhm, let's change the topic for now..."
"In that case, may I ask a question of my own?"
"Of course."
"... How did you fall in love with father? What was the initial spark?"
She looked away momentarily. Thinking about those days always filled her with a strong mix of all sorts of emotions.
The early stages of love were one of the most beautiful things in this world, after all.
"... I think it was because of how different he was from how I expected him to be? I mean, as the daughter of a Holy Kingdom paladin, I was obviously afraid of this undead king who took over a city in a foreign nation..."
She sighed.
"And with how terrible everything was for me back then, with how I lost everything... his kindness... it was..."
She wiped away the tears which started forming in her eyes.
"His kindness made me feel so nice and warm…"
... ...
Ainz had teleported in front of the door behind which Neia and Pandora's Actor were waiting for him, as they just confirmed over [Message] that they were ready to end it for today.
He was happy that things were going well between them, even if he sometimes worried that it was only a matter of time until his "son" would embarrass him...
He opened the door, and saw them standing next to each other, facing his direction.
"Hello Neia, Pandora's Actor... I hope everything went well?"
He saw that Neia opened her mouth, but hesitated, which made him panic a bit.
"... I suppose. There was something I wanted to talk to you about, darling."
"Uhm... of course..."
"I will take my leave then. Goodbye, mother!"
"Goodbye, son!"
Ainz only felt his panic rise a bit further as Pandora's Actor exited the room.
"... Neia? Should we sit down, or would you prefer we had this talk somewhere else?"
"Right here is fine."
They then sat down next to each other, and the room fell silent for a bit.
"... uhm... so... Pandora's Actor said he couldn't tell me what species he was..."
"Ah, that's..."
He suspected that this might be an issue for her.
But he felt that it was really sensitive, since Doppelgangers did not exist at all in the New World as far as they could tell, which meant that this knowledge needed to be a closely guarded secret.
This wouldn't be a problem normally, as he trusted Neia completely. But if she were to find out, she might correctly suspect that Nazarick was involved in her country's downfall, or she might otherwise ask any number of very troublesome questions.
He didn't think any of that was actually likely, but he couldn't risk that. No matter how low the chance was, she couldn't know.
"... yes, Neia... It's quite a risk for Nazarick if information about him gets out."
"Of course, it's just that... it's our son... It feels strange to not be able to know certain things about him... ah, but don't worry about me. I'll get over it..."
She smiled weakly as she said that.
And that smile stabbed at his heart.
There were so many things he couldn't tell Neia.
How would she feel if she knew how he felt about her when they first started dating? That he was just using her...
How would she feel if she knew about all the times he considered killing her?
How would she feel if she knew that the first time he called her beautiful was a complete lie? That their first kiss was just something he did to keep up an act?
How would she feel if she knew he killed her parents? That he killed so many in her homeland?
Well, it was obvious.
She would despise him.
She would be disgusted that she ever loved him.
He clenched his fists.
Yes... she could never see the real him.
And with that, his emotions rose to a boiling point, after which they were finally suppressed, allowing him at least some release.
\\\
Neia couldn't quite tell what her husband might've been thinking about as he sat there in silence, but she could sense that something was definitely happening with him.
And then, he suddenly seemed to snap out of it, quickly getting up.
"I'm sorry, Neia. How about I make it up to you? Do you want to go back to your bedroom and have me take that dress off?"
"U-uhm... o-okay."
She got up, at which point he teleported them over.
After that, he started stroking her cheek and slowly moving his other hand to undress her, obviously doing his best to make sure to not be pushy, because of how last time was.
She was honest when she told him that it was fine, but she really did prefer this.
And so, her wings started flapping about happily, and she moved to slowly undress him, as well.
... ...
He's been quietly laying in Neia's arms for some time now.
It seems she was asleep, but he didn't really want to leave yet.
She was so beautiful when she slept... Her quiet, regular breathing and peaceful expression made him want to stay like this for a very long time.
But he felt that it was long enough now. He had something else he wanted to do, after all.
He did his best to untangle himself from her embrace, trying not to wake her up.
But it seems he failed. As he was gently raising one of her arms from his chest, she started stirring, and then spoke in a quiet, confused tone.
"D-darling?... Hello..."
"Hello, Neia. Sorry for waking you up. I'll put you back to sleep right away, okay?"
"W-what... mm... okay..."
He then started prioritising speed, and managed to get up from the bed quite quickly.
"I'll put you to sleep now. Good night, my love."
Her wings then started flapping around as she was called that, even in her half-awake state.
"G-good night!"
"[Sleep]... Sweet dreams, Neia..."
...
As he slowly and quietly opened the door, he found the hallway empty.
This was to be expected. Neia would surely arrange for there to be no maids or anyone else right outside her door, as they might hear all the noises the two of them make when they embrace each other as lovers.
Closing the door behind him, he continued on quietly, his footsteps barely making a sound.
He then turned the corner, and right behind it, there was a person who immediately jumped a bit at seeing him.
It was a maid sitting on a chair, with an open book in her lap. The young redhead's green eyes were completely wide as she looked up at him. If Ainz recalled correctly from Neia's offhand description, this must have been the newest hire, Amelia.
He stepped back to give her some space before speaking somewhat quietly.
"Hello. Sorry to intrude unannounced. There is a matter I wish to discuss with my wife's servants, but it should remain between me and them, and is not something I want her to know. Can you gather them?"
The maid blinked many times in rapid succession, after which point she got on the floor to prostrate herself.
"Your Majesty!"
She practically shouted.
"Quiet down please... Neia is asleep. Let's not wake her up."
"O-of course! I'm s-sorry, Your Majesty!"
"Just please discreetly gather everyone, alright?"
... ...
Ainz was now sitting in what he was told was the main meeting room within the mansion.
He was looking across the room and the people sitting down in front of him, all of which flinched under his gaze.
Just then, the door opened again, and two people stood in the doorway.
Amelia was one of them, which meant that the second person must have been the last of those she wanted to bring. This last person was Emma, who was out of uniform.
The two of them bowed deeply.
"Please, come and sit."
After they hastily did so, he breathed in slowly before speaking.
"Hello, everyone. I am here to talk to my dear wife's closest servants. This should be all of you, then?"
A few people hesitantly nodded, as the term "closest servant" had great ambiguity to it.
"If this is the case, then I would first like to apologise for selfishly bringing you all here without former notice. If there is any disruption to anyone's work, I am ready to take full responsibility."
This made several people quite uneasy, and they all looked like they wanted to disagree.
"Also, it seems some of you were not on duty at all, such as Miss Emma. I hope you will accept my apologies?"
She froze up momentarily as he addressed his question to her.
"T-there is no need to apologise to me, Your Majesty!"
He didn't really think arguing was the right thing to do right now, so he took those words as her accepting it.
"Now then, I wanted to talk to you all because I am grateful. I am grateful for all of you who serve her so well, and that some of you even became her friends. Truly, I am happy she is in good care. Thank you."
And with that, he bowed his head, which instantly earned him a few gasps and other reactions of surprise.
When he raised his head again, he saw that everyone had expressions of both shock and horror. He expected something like this. These were the most devout and loyal followers, after all.
"I hope that you will all continue to serve her well in the future… I truly just want her to be happy."
... ...
"He's just so amazing! He's also just like Her Holiness... divine!"
Emma was listening to Amelia's amazed ramblings ever since their God left, and they were now slowly nearing the servants' quarters.
Having to appear in front of His Majesty in informal clothes was quite unfortunate, but she of course knew that he was a very kind and understanding man, and so she wasn't that worried.
There was now a pause, so she decided to respond to what Amelia said earlier.
"Just like Her Holiness? She has a more kind and gentle air around her, while His Majesty commands great respect, and effortlessly earns your awe."
"Ah... y-you think? I just get so overwhelmed in the presence of both..."
Emma never really felt like that. She seemed to be one of very few in this regard.
"... Uhm, Emma? Are you going to go to sleep now?"
"I am."
"Oh, I see… I hoped we would be able to talk a bit about the book you recommended..."
"We can always do that tomorrow... Ah, and one more thing. To answer your earlier question, the reason you now have to be down the hall instead of just outside Her Holiness' room is that she and His Majesty are intimate, and they can't have anyone hear, of course. You would have found out eventually, so I might as well tell you now."
Amelia stopped walking, being frozen in place by her statement. Emma turned back around, and saw that the young girl's expression was stuck in shock.
"Are you that surprised? They're married. What did you expect? Either way, just don't go around talking about it."
"B-b-but can you r-really just say that?! Isn't that p-private?!"
"Hm... Yes, I suppose I am breaching their privacy, huh? In that case, go tell Her Holiness what I told you. She'll be sure to discipline me."
"W-wh… Huh? B-but..."
"What's wrong? Go wake up Her Holiness, and tell about how you know what she and His Majesty do at night, because Emma told you... Go on, hurry. I need to be punished."
Amelia still just stood there, now also opening and closing her mouth repeatedly, like a fish.
Seeing this, Emma turned around and continued walking to their quarters.
She was happy that the young girl she loved as a daughter was here with her, but it seemed she had a pitiable lack of common sense.
…
Hello!
Just wanted to say two quick things:
First, I might be slowing down a bit with the releases from this point onward.
Second, if you didn't know, you can go and talk to me and many other cool people on the Ashurbanipal discord server, where I am active every day and have my own channel. There, you can also become a beta reader, discussing chapters and giving suggestions before I properly release my stuff for everyone else.
Either way, thank you very much for reading.
- Lucy