Breeding Issues

by The Ruff Pusher

Momon the Dark Hero encounters Zesshi Zetsumei. mature content/smut

11. Chapter 11

This story uses the same setting as my other story "Momon, Big Black Changeling". Essentially, Ainz Ooal Gown is the same type of creature as in that story, although this and that story happen in different worlds.

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There was a long silence. Lakyus looked slowly from Gagaran to Evileye. Gagaran, though looking quite imposing with her height towering over the shorter Evileye, had the same look as a frightened puppy. And Evileye, despite not wearing her mask, levied an expression that looked somewhat frightening.

"Well?" Lakyus asked, in a demanding voice. "I'm waiting."

Her two comrades looked at each other, and it seemed as if they were sharing some sort of silent conversation before her. Gagaran made some grunting sounds while Evileye crossed her arms above her pregnant belly, and frowned up at the taller woman.

"Well?" Lakyus asked, when no one was still saying anything. "Gagaran, for goodness' sake, say something. Where in the gods' name are we?"

"Er… that's…" For some reason, Gagaran was still looking for words like a drowning man gasping for air. In all her years she had never seen her comrade wanting for confidence. "That is to say…"

"Fine, fine! Damn it, Gagaran. Why do I have to still clean up after you. I'm supposed to be retired!" Evileye said, exhaling a loud puff of air. She looked down sternly at Lakyus. "Well, Leader, how should I put it, thanks to some circumstances that were pretty much out of your control, you and I… and everyone else here, as it happens, are currently inside the Sorcerer Kingdom."

Lakyus blinked and stared at her blankly. Then she looked from her to Gagaran. The latter's expression did not change. In fact, with Lakyus' attention turned back to her, she looked even more awkward, and didn't dare look at Lakyus.

"Gagaran," she said testily. When she still said nothing, she felt something throb in her head. She leaned back against the pillow, drew out a long breath then shouted. "How could you have let this happen?" Gagaran flinched, and she was gratified to see she at least had the decency to look guilty. "You know how I feel about this place! It's a den of evil and iniquity!" From the corner of her eye she could see Evileye start to move. But when she glanced towards her other friend, Evileye had remained standing, as if she had only been imagining it.

Gagaran gestured wildly. "Oh, come on, Lakyus! You think I don't know that? Or you thought I forgot? There was no other way! I had no choice but to call it!"

She coughed. "What… could possibly possess you… to bring me to this godsforsaken place?"

Gagaran opened her mouth as if she were about to answer, before two voices pre-empted her.

"Gagaran, it's not good to stall," came Tia's flat, assertive voice.

"You should've gotten to the point, dumb oaf," came Tina's voice.

"You two!" Lakyus exclaimed, as the ninja twins appeared on either side of Gagaran as if they had been waiting there all along.

"Hello, Leader," the twins said in chorus.

"It's good to see you're safe," Tia said.

"It was quite an emergency," Tina said.

"What? What are you talking about? What the hell is going on? I want to know what would ever possess you to bring us here!"

"Leader, how much do you recall about what happened?" Tia asked, her arms crossed. "Come on now, think back. This is important."

"What… happened?" For some reason, when Lakyus tried to summon the memory, she was surprised to find that she could not. It was as if she was trying to summon magic that had been sealed in her body, and unable to be cast. She frowned and pressed her forehead to her hand. Her fingers kneaded her head as bits and pieces of scattered images flew through her mind.

"I remember… I remember that caravan… Wait, what happened to it?"

"First things first. We'll tell you, don't fear, but please do go on," Tina said.

Lakyus frowned at her friends through the gaps in her fingers. "Right… And um…"

Power.

Power? She thought. Where had that come from?

It had felt good.

Power… she repeated in her mind. She felt her heartbeat quicken in her chest. She had experienced… something. But she couldn't quite grasp it. The exact feeling, the exact circumstances eluded her, the memories like sand slipping carelessly through a sieve.

"Were we not… ugh…" She grimaced and looked up at her team-mates. "Were we not in a battle somehow…?"

"Yes, Leader, you're getting close," Tina said, sounding like she was being eternally patient with her. "Keep going."

Lakyus frowned, a little displeased they were playing this sort of game with her. But she reasoned that perhaps they were trying to ease her into it. She'd seen it happen before, to people who'd been victims of cruelty, or by some unfortunate magical mishap. It was necessary to not overwhelm these people or something in them would break. And perhaps they did not want to break their own Leader. Now she was sure that something very significant had indeed happened.

She gazed off into the distance. "I remember… we were fighting were we not? We were fighting for our lives. I… something happened then… I…" She looked down and tested her body. Nothing felt sore or out of place. "Was I wounded…?"

"No, you weren't," Evileye said. "And I can confirm that myself when they brought you to me."

Lakyus blinked. "Right. It was still a hard and uphill battle. Only then did I…" She caught a glimpse of the shaft of light glinting against the mirror on the far end of the bed. The brief glint made her heart stop. She gasped, her muscles freezing as a cascade of memories crashed through her.

"The swords!" she exclaimed. She looked around wildly. "The swords! I remember! I took hold of them and I… and I…"

"Easy there, Leader…" Gagaran said, patting her on the shoulder.

"No, you don't understand!" Lakyus exclaimed loudly, her voice a little hysterical. "The swords, they're… they have to be controlled!" She bit her lip and slammed her hand on the bed. "I remember now…! The swords… I… something happened when I grabbed them..!"

"Now you got into it," Tia said. "Do you remember anything else?"

She was breathing heavily, as more and more images rushed through her mind. She bore witnesses of scenes featuring great slaughter, as twin blades of bone-bleached white and inky black extended from her hands like ugly, long nails. And through it all she bore a great and awesome power, a fire so great that she could still feel the pain of being seared. She was the Sun, and everything in the cosmos would burn around her.

"… Where are they?"

"They're in a safe place," Evileye said. "Never mind them for now. How are you feeling? Got the important stuff squared away in your head now?"

Lakyus took several deep breaths, to center herself and her emotions. Then she glanced towards her team-mates one more time. "Yes. I'll be fine. Now tell me what happened."

Tia stepped up. "To keep a long story short, you went berserk, Lakyus. Whatever magics possess these blades was potent enough to turn you into a being of spectacular power." She slapped her hand against her palm. "Destructive power."

"Fucking tore into those poor bastards like they were just pieces of cheese," Gagaran said. "In all my years I've only seen it happen a few times. The last time this happened, the ruler of this kingdom we're in decimated an army."

"They were like paper, chucked against a blaze," said Tina.

"I did all that…?" she said, gasping. "I don't believe it."

"Well you better believe it. That image of yours, that bright, burning berserker with the twin blades is forever seared in our minds," Gagaran said. "None of us have the wit to scrawl a story about it, but I sure wish I did. Would make for a great song."

Lakyus groaned as she rubbed her forehead steadily. Though her mind tried to deny what Gagaran and the others were saying, she was finding it hard to completely refute them. Something in her memories had convinced her that there was some truth to what they were saying.

She took another deep breath. "What… What happened after that? What led to us arriving at this godsforsaken place?"

"Well, if you recall, it was a pretty fucked up situation all around," Gagaran said. Apparently, she had lost her previous reticence to talk. "We weren't expecting that ambush at all, and neither did our employers."

"Oh, right," Lakyus said, with a gasp. "Where is that Remedios then? What happened to them?"

"I was just about to get to that, Leader, hold on," Gagaran said. "After your little… miraculous outburst, things calmed down for a bit. Those who didn't get killed by your blades got to fleeing. Unfortunately, we didn't have the time nor the numbers to chase after them. And of course, there was the thing where you collapsed. I'm sure you don't remember that. Right after the dust settled, there you were on the ground."

"I… don't recall, yes."

"Well, we were all trying to figure out what led to this whole mess, and also about what to do with you. You were burning up something fierce, like you had some cursed fever, and without Evileye, there ain't nothing the three of us could do." Lakyus glanced towards Evileye, whose unmasked visage stared right back.

"… What?" she asked, with raised brow.

Lakyus shook her head silently. It had been a growing concern ever since Evileye had left their group, but this incident now served as another stern reminder that they desperately needed an actual magic user on their team again. Without Evileye, Lakyus was the only one capable enough for that, and even her knowledge paled in comparison to an actual practitioner of the arts. She was a backup, if anything else. And with the backup down, the team had literally nothing to deal with magical threats, which had led to situations like these.

"And, of course, none of those bastard clients of ours were of any help," Gagaran continued.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, now we get to the part why we're here, in the Sorcerer's Kingdom, with none of the paladins in sight," Tina said.

"As expected, they viewed the assault as a direct attack on 'sovereign interests'. To put it bluntly, they viewed it as something planned by the Re-Estize Kingdom against them and their country, the Holy Kingdom. Well, with them reaching that conclusion, you can guess what they did next."

"Wha—" Lakyus wheezed, trying to make sense of the new information. "But that— That doesn't make any sense! It was clearly a bandit attack, a—" she paused, her words faltering at the cold logic that reared up in her mind.

It was clear to even the most naïve of souls that the attack had not just been simple banditry. It had involved numbers far greater than what bandits typically fielded. If the intent really was banditry, then that was a literal army they had faced that had now seemingly turned their arms towards those despicable acts. And that meant that in that moment, there had been an army that had, for whatever reason, assaulted a caravan in broad daylight without fear of repercussion.

No lord in the Kingdom would have tolerated such a thing, for fear of the King's justice, which mandated that no banners could be raised for whatever reason unless called for by the Council of War. That meant private feuds and vendettas were usually accomplished through subterfuge, through covert, unspeakable acts, usually by proxy—such as the Eight Fingers.

If that army had really been bandits that had swollen in number, then it was still the Kingdom's affair to quash them now that they had grown to this extent. That they had assaulted a caravan of the Holy Kingdom would not have given Re-Estize a free pass; they would be made to take responsibility for what had happened.

But no, Lakyus' mind thought. They weren't bandits. Bandits would have fled at the first sign of serious resistance. And those paladins had certainly dealt them a bloody hand right from the start. Yet they had still kept on coming. So much so, that Lakyus had been forced to do something drastic to help turn the tide, it seemed.

And now, even without being said, Lakyus could easily guess what the Holy Kingdom delegation was thinking. She didn't even need to visualize Remedios' face to imagine her voice speaking in displeasure.

"I can see the gears are moving in your head, Leader," Gagaran said. "And so, I'm just gonna say it now: we pretty much ran into one of the worst-case scenarios that might be in your head."

Lakyus' breath caught in her throat. "What?" she said faintly. The worst-case? But that meant… She closed her eyes painfully. "A war," she murmured hoarsely.

"Aye," Gagaran said quietly.

"How did it come to this?" Lakyus said out loud. That was a scenario that pretty much all of them had agreed would be the most likely outcome. But talking seriously about it and having it happen in truth were different things.

"Well, it happened kind of fast," Tia said. "We took a week to get you here. By that time we'd already heard rumors from the towns we passed that Re-Estize was already mobilizing its armies."

"There are even rumors that the fighting had long since started," Tina said.

"But it's hard to get an actual look at the situation being all the way here in the Sorcerous Kingdom," Gagaran said. "That being said, at the time we weren't really focusing on the war. We had more important things to fret about: namely, you, Leader."

"But… why…?" Lakyus said. "You lot could have… should've stopped them!"

"And how could they have done that?" It was Evileye's turn to speak, her cool voice breaking into the conversation with the deep-cutting precision of a scalpel.

"We could've talked...! To Remedios maybe!" Lakyus insisted. "Told her we would investigate the situation…!"

"Leader, we did investigate," Tia said. "And we… we found conclusive proof that it was a noble from Re-Estize who led the army."

"…What?"

"Well, we kind of left that detail out," Gagaran said. "Yeah, these two investigated and pretty much pointed out that it was some rogue noble who owned the army. You can naturally imagine Remedios' reaction."

"Wh—what—You guys told…?" Lakyus spluttered. Then she sighed. "… Right, it's not like we could've kept the secret. Still, it would have been nice if we held back that knowledge… for the sake of peace."

None of them said anything to that. She knew that they had all entertained the very real possibility of war from even before they'd met with Remedios. It wasn't something that lofty ideals could stop. This was born of pure pragmatism, the desire to see one's own lot succeed and endure at the cost of everything else. It was entirely understandable that the Re-Estize Kingdom would seize any means to accomplish their aims. Whoever was behind that attack on the caravan didn't matter. Sooner or later, the impetus of war would be ignited, and there was no stopping that fire.

Still, Lakyus couldn't help but feel frustrated at the sheer powerlessness she felt. It was as if nothing they had done to preserve the peace had mattered. They had intended to acquire information on the Holy Kingdom, all so just people like Princess Renner could help negotiate for peaceful solutions to current problems. Now all that was thrown away, and more blood would be spilled once more, to add to the multitude that had already withered away at the Katze Plains.

"Even if Remedios hadn't been told," Gagaran said, echoing her thoughts word for word. "Something still would have happened."

"It was inevitable," Tia said.

Lakyus took another deep breath and looked back up at them. "Do you know aught else? How is the war going?"

"Well, like they said, all we got are rumors fed to us through the merchants," Gagaran said. "But I guess these two would be able to tell me more. I've been stuck here watching over you."

"Stuck here?" Evileye queried, in a tone that made Gagaran's face cramp up. The former pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in judgement. "My dear, if you wanted out of this room, you could've just asked. It would have spared us both all those near accidents where I almost dumped precious ointment on the floor while you bumbled about blocking the way…"

"Ah, well I was needed here for security, Evileye, surely you know that right?" Gagaran said in a pleading voice.

"Hmph." Evileye rolled her eyes.

"… Moving on," Tia said. "We've been going in and out of the taverns here, tawling for rumors and news."

"By the way, they've got some pretty nice establishment here," Tina said.

"Oh yes," Tia said, nodding. "Very clean. Professional. Very surprising to see."

"Yeah, but did you see those demihumans in place?" Gagaran said, her expression sour. "Felt like I was in a dream world."

"They're civilized," Evileye stated. "Which is more than I can say for those fools waging war out there on the fields of blood." The others looked surprised at their friend's uncharacteristic vehemence. She snorted and waved her hands. "Whatever. Just… keep going."

The twins shared a glance before Tia continued. "We heard all sorts of things, and it was easy to see that most of it wouldn't amount to anything but falsehoods. But we were able to sketch a picture to bring back."

"To start off, it seemed it was the Re-Estize Kingdom who started the attack," Tina said.

Lakyus couldn't help but sigh deeply. That had also been a possibility that the Princess had espoused. She had asserted that her brother had already prepared several forces in reserve for just this very reason. It didn't take a genius to figure out that he was keeping his hounds in reserve for the very instant war broke out. And if he could dictate when exactly war would begin? Things weren't looking good for Renner's brother.

"It was a complete blitz over the border," Tina continued to say. She mimed a sweeping motion with her hand over the air. "Accounts vary, it was three armies, two, just the one led by Pespea himself. Regardless, they took the border towns on the first day."

"They work fast," Gagaran remarked, whistling.

"Too fast," Lakyus said. They all looked at her with eyes of understanding. They had probably come to the same conclusion as she had.

"If you think that's fast, tell me how you feel about Roble responding equally as fast," Tia said, now picking up the story. "Just a few days after the conquest on the border, the full might of the Holy Kingdom came swinging hard, slamming into the invasion force without mercy."

"Now that's fast," Gagaran said. Lakyus's brows furrowed in thought. A country at war rising to defend their own territory was to be expected, but this speed meant that they had also been readying their forces for war even before the declaration. Though it could be reasoned that since the War with Jaldabaoth, their armies had never quite returned to normal. With a solid core of paladins and the veterans from the demihuman battles, it would have been easy to start marching when news came of the declaration of war.

Admittedly, it was still a little too fast than expected. It was as if they had already been doing what the Princess' brother had done, which was to ready a full army in secret, fully-equipped to march at a second's notice. It could have meant that Roble had also been thinking about starting the war themselves, which was a chilling thought. Was war really unavoidable at all?

"They were able to retreat with little damage," Tina said.

"Wait, who retreated?" Gagaran interjected.

"Our side did," Tia said. "Re-Estize," she clarified later.

Gagaran swore silently. Lakyus just gaped in shock and disbelief. "What happened?" she asked quietly.

"The Holy Kingdom hit them like a hammer," Tia said, with a shrug. "Slamming into their formations on their border. Apparently they were totally unprepared for something. Maybe there were just too many? Or maybe Re-Estize's commanders were simply too incompetent. Whichever the case, they retreated. Had to completely abandon everything they gained and return over the border."

"Embarrassing," Evileye remarked.

"You can say that again," Gagaran groused. "I'll admit, I don't know the first thing about what's happened over there. But the least they could've done is actually get prepared for a war they wanted to wage."

Lakyus sighed. "Are you okay, Leader?" Tina asked. "If you want we can—"

"No, continue," she said. "Let me hear everything."

"Well, they settled in, and actually managed to stop the Holy Kingdom forces from just rampaging over the border. I think that was just about when we arrived here with you, so that makes it just a couple of days ago. So, that should be everything, Leader," Tia said.

"I was out for that long?" Lakyus whispered, surprised at that bit of news.

Evileye stirred and said, "You were in a magical trance. It was fortunate that it didn't involve any sort of debilitating curse. As it was, your body has been able to retain its energies thanks to the enchantments in your equipment, long enough for me to halt your dangerous condition."

"I see." She turned back to Tia. "Was that all?"

"It should be," Tia said. "But the situation is fluid, and there are fresh rumors that just came in when we asked around."

"What is it?"

"That the Re-Estize Kingdom is taking a massive beating," Tina said. "Apparently there was some great rout that happened when they tried to do an ambush. Things just kept falling apart at the front, to the point that they had to pull back."

Tia raised a finger. "And then they just kept on pulling back, again and again and again."

Gagaran swore again, only a little louder this time. "Ah, shit."

"And that's the last bit we heard before we came back here," Tina said. "Of course we can assume that there'll be a reversal of sorts. But so far it's not looking good."

"No doubt about it," Evileye said.

Lakyus put her face into her hands. She couldn't believe this. As they had expected, many people had now died from this stupid pointless war. A war that they had not been able to prevent, despite their very best efforts. And of course, at the very crucial moment, they had been unable to do anything at all to salvage the situation when they still had a chance, however slim it was. And yet Lakyus had fallen at that time, unable to do anything at all but lie there uselessly while her team-mates tried to take up the slack. They might as well have helped write history with their own two hands.

She frowned. Perhaps it was inevitable. But perhaps it was not. She knew she could not have anticipated that rogue army ambushing them, but perhaps she had not needed to use that strange power that had ended up incapacitating her. "Where are my blades?" she said suddenly. She could feel them exchanging a look without even looking in their direction.

"Leader…" Gagaran said.

"I want to see them," she said sharply. Gagaran sighed, and gestured something. Tina and Tina left for a few seconds. Lakyus listened to their departing footsteps on the wooden floor. A while later they returned, bearing a weapon each. Their size was such that they easily dwarfed their carriers. The blades were wrapped in cloth. They placed the two blades gingerly on the bed, just within Lakyus' reach.

Slowly, Lakyus took hold of the cloth and unwrapped them to reveal her blades. Killineiram, and the other blade that had been gifted by Momon. They lay on the bed as stiff and sharp and cold as blades could be, giving no indication of the power each held; or of the power the both could summon through some strange interaction she hadn't even known was present in them.

"Momon-sama did warn you of their power," Evileye said. "But in this case, perhaps even he did not know of their full extent. These are ancient artifacts, after all. Who knows what sort of magics their creators put inside them."

Lakyus wished Momon hadn't given her the white blade at all. But she knew that was the wrong line of thinking, considering the fact that the gift was given freely and without malice of thought.

Still, that left her to wonder about the exact nature of the blades. They seemed dangerous to her now, far more than before. Killineiram by itself was already a dangerous blade to wield. She'd already had difficulties controlling its power. Its twin perhaps had its own potent qualities. When taken together, perhaps it was a given that disaster would strike. Only the truly powerful could hope to master both blades. And this just proved that Lakyus wasn't one of that number. It hurt to admit that she wasn't some sort of chosen one who could have ably controlled the blades. But perhaps that was for the best. She was afraid of what that sort of glory would do to her.

Slowly, she reached for one of the hilts.

Unbidden images came to her mind. These were memories of the time she had wielded the power. She was a vortex, a squall, a reverberation. She was strength, power, purity. In her hands were held the scales of life and death, and she swung them towards death every time. Fresh blood squirted beneath her touch, spilled eagerly from flesh sacks too fragile for this harsh, unforgiving world. She could almost taste it, on the tip of her tongue, scalding her consciousness, their beating hearts dying by the thousands. She turned decades of toil and sweat and blood into motes of dust carried away in the wind, feeble, forgotten. The two blades were as runaway steeds, snorting and crashing through the world in all their thunderous power.

She was a maelstrom of violence, forever turning and destroying anything she touched. No, she was… approaching herself? She was approaching the maelstrom. She was being drawn into the whirling eddies. She had to turn back. She had to turn back! At the very depths of that maelstrom was oblivion, she was sure of it. She struggled, she fought, she resisted. Destruction, whirling, wild and free. She would become its puppet, forever twirling around in a frenzied dance of death. She thought she could hear the blades singing to her in that moment, whispering to her the many songs of death and ruin they knew, of the true nature of the void that lay beyond the gates of death.

She screamed.

"Lakyus!" she heard them cry. She felt hands seize her shoulders, even as she felt the air whooshing out from her lips in great, big gasps.

"Get back on the bed, dummy!" Evileye all but screamed. She felt her body being pushed backward on the bed, as the hilt of the weapon was wrested firmly from her hands. She crashed back down on the cushion, and was left, momentarily, breathless.

Gradually, her vision cleared, and she was able to see her comrades once again. They were all looking down at her with worried expressions on their faces, Evileye included. The latter's expression quickly morphed into that of righteous anger.

"You godforsaken idiot!" she cried. "Why do we have to keep reminding that thick-head of yours that you're still recovering from your ordeal! An ordeal featuring a set of mysterious magical artifacts that completely exhausted you, in body and soul! And then you have the gall to try and do it again? What the hell are you on?"

"What…?" she asked weakly. She was confused. That wasn't what she had… "Do it again…? I wasn't…"

"I don't care!" Evileye snapped. "You still did it! Almost! If you'd grabbed the other damned sword we would've had another emergency on our hands! And I'm not sure I can even help you by that point! Idiot!"

"I'm… I'm sorry," Lakyus stammered. She stared wide-eyed at her former comrade's high-pitched, almost hysterical sermon. It was familiar, in a way.

"Seriously!" Evileye hissed, continuing her irate diatribe. "Why do I have to be the one that keeps fixing your damned mistakes! You're old enough cunts, the lot of you! And I… It's not like I…" she gasped, her breath hitching. As Blue Rose looked on, they were surprised to see tears forming on their comrade's crimson-hued eyes, as her expression melted into sadness. "… It's not like I can help you… hic… Guys… hic… anymore…"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Evileye, whoa," the others said, crowding around the pregnant woman.

"Here have a seat," Tina said, carrying over one of the wooden chairs. She then began using some sort of cloth to fan the other woman.

"And you need to calm down too," Tia said, patting and massaging her shoulder.

"Want some water?" Gagaran asked, looking around.

"I don't want some damned water! Do you fools even remember that I…? Gods!" Evileye all but snapped.

"Ooookay, okay, I'm sorry sorry sorry…"

Lakyus leaned back in her pillow, more than taken aback at her friend's attitude. This was not the first time she had received a stern lecture from Evileye, a person who was—appearances aside—one that could be rightfully called "sagely". Only, they usually were cold, biting critiques, not full-blown hysteria as she'd seen today. In fact, that would be a first time for the others as well. They had never seen their comrade like this before. It was therefore clear that the main reason for this change was her ongoing pregnancy.

"Well, whatever," Evileye said, a little calmer this time. "Just stay there, idiot! Don't you fucking move, or touch, or even look at those swords until you're all better!"

"Don't worry Evileye," Tia said. "We're not letting Lakyus near those things anymore."

"Yeah hide them somewhere she won't even be tempted to come looking."

"Do you really understand?" Evileye said, pouting.

"Yes, I understand, my friend," Lakyus said. "I promise not to do anything more." Her acceptance made Evileye's brows shoot upwards. Then her expression loosened.

"Whatever," she said. "Just as long as you know."

"Yeah… just lay down there Leader," Gagaran now said. "It seems clear to all of us you ain't recovered just yet." She looked around. "Why don't you take a bite to eat first? Then you can try to rest some more."

"A bite? Who cooked?"

"Thankfully none of us needed to," Tina said. "Thanks to Evileye, we're able to have 'VIP' status in this inn, so they cooked us up a meal. It was…"

"Delicious," Tia finished. "Very delicious."

"Oh yeah, you'd never think it was just some undead's kingdom, from the way their food tastes. Nothing fishy about it either. We wouldn't have eaten without Evileye's assurance. It's like… it's all completely normal," Gagaran said. "So there's no qualms about eating it."

"And you already ate some of it when you were still unconscious," Evileye said. "Of course, it was just gruel, but it came from downstairs, so it's still all the same."

"Fine, fine, I'll eat," Lakyus said. As she said that, she felt the keen pangs of hunger in her belly, and realized that she was, indeed, looking forward to the food. "Thank you, my friends."

The food was indeed good. It seemed simple fare on the surface, but the meal was so rich and well-made, that each bite she made only made her want to eat more. She suspected there was some form of sorcery afoot, but because of everyone's assurance, she shelved such thoughts and merely ate.

As she did, her thoughts turned back towards the current situation. She couldn't quite believe that all their worst fears had really come to pass. The Re-Estize Kingdom had been teetering on the brink of war, this much they knew. They had been working to find ways to forestall it, as it had been the Princess Renner's opinion that war was inevitable with the way things were proceeding. They had heard that Prince Zanack, heir apparent, had been one who was firmly of the opinion to prosecute the war. If so, it would not be too farfetched to lay the blame of the war's onset on his feet. He may have even been responsible for that attack that Blue Rose had somehow survived, which meant that in a way he was the one who had endangered her and her comrades. She didn't know what to think about that, even if it wasn't true. Such thoughts were poison, but there was no stopping its spread throughout her mind, tainting her opinion of the Prince.

In any case, what was to happen to them now? She dreaded having to return to the Capital in this state, not knowing of the dangers that lurked in every shadow along their path. It was possible that the Prince or whoever had been in charge of instigating the war would hear of Blue Rose's return, and would arrange to have them dealt with in order to hide any possible loose ends, as they would be prime witnesses for that fateful assault. Would it even be feasible to return there now, when the war was as hot as can be?

"What are you doing, Evileye?"

She heard her comrades talk, though she kept her eyes on the ceiling from sheer fatigue. She heard the sounds of bustling close to her, as if someone was pacing the wooden floor, and doing some busy work she couldn't identify.

"Can't you see? I'm preparing a medicinal meal."

"A medicinal meal? What for?"

"For Lakyus, you dumb lummox! Who else? Or do you mean to say you've got some lingering injuries you didn't tell anyone yet? If so, I've got this very potent set of ointments here. Trust me, they'll really sting…"

"Ehhh… No thanks."

"Wow," Tina said. "That's pretty amazing, Evileye. Where did you learn that kind of knowledge?"

"Oh… Just… around…" Evileye seemed to be hesitating as she cleared her throat. "When you've got as much spare time as I have, you get to dabble in a lot of things."

"What the… Wait don't tell me—" Gagaran said. "You can cook now?"

Evileye cleared her throat again. "Anyone can cook dumbass."

"Wow…" Gagaran said in a hushed voice. "You never did, before. Or like, you never wanted to. That's… Wow…"

For some reason, Evileye had acquired the peculiar habit of clearing her throat. "Don't read too much into it. This is just something for Lakyus. Now clear the way please."

Lakyus heard footsteps approaching, making the wooden floorboards creak. She turned her head weakly and saw Evileye approach with a bowl. Steam curled up from its surface. The smell reached her nose, and it was such that it made her stomach rumble, despite the fact that she had already eaten.

"Here you go, Lakyus," Evileye said. "If you can, eat the whole lot. But I'll settle for three solid spoonfuls. I got some medicine mixed in, and it'll help you rest. I woulda given you the herbs directly, but I got it from personal experience that they're really unpleasant to eat. And for humans like you it's bound to be a lot worse."

"I… thank you, my friend," Lakyus said, as Gagaran helped her up to a semi-sitting position. She looked down at the tray with the steaming bowl. The mixture inside looked like some sort of hot porridge. "I shall endeavor to finish it all."

"That is well," Evileye said, with a self-satisfied expression. Now she looked quite calm and peaceful, a clear contrast to her earlier wild hysteria.

As Lakyus busied herself with swallowing the slush, Tina then said. "Well, look at that, Leader. She doesn't just look the part of a budding mother now, doesn't she? She's more than that now. When they said that pregnancy changes everything, they were right."

"Wh—what the hell is that supposed to mean?" Without even looking, she could hear the blush on her friend's cheeks.

The rest of them chuckled. "You got that right," Gagaran said. "She's really settling into her motherly role. Evileye the doting mother… Now that's an image I thought would never come to pass."

"We must thank Momon-sama once more," Tia said. Despite the inherent teasing tone, there was something kind in it. One would have thought those words had not come from a lifelong assassin and been soundly mistaken. "For granting you this opportunity, Evileye."

"That's… He knows." There was a quite joy in her voice.

"Oh, I bet he does," Gagaran crowed, like some gossiping fishwife. "Plucked the seeds clean from his body did you? Made sure to plant them in the right spot? Gave the ground a little tumble in the end?"

"Vulgarity was never your strongest attribute, Gagaran," Evileye said drily. But Lakyus could tell that she was still blushing.

"I don't mind being called that. I've been called that and worse, my comrade," Gagaran said in a boasting tone.

"But seriously, Evileye, we're all friends here. We're women too. We can smell the happiness off you; we can even see it as clear as your rosy cheeks," Tina said.

"By the way, I never got around to asking but is there any chance we're seeing that big lug of yours?" asked Gagaran.

"Momon-sama?" Evileye asked. "No… No, he's quite busy at the moment."

"Oh right. Isn't he that Ainz's lapdog here in the city?"

"Yeah, he has his… duties."

"Well that just means we have more time to have you for ourselves!" Gagaran cackled. "So spill it, girl. How has it really been with you two since last we spoke?"

In a way the ensuing conversation reminded her of the last time they had talked with their comrade, some time ago. Momon had been perhaps graceful enough to allow them to "interrogate" Evileye. She had spilled the beans, so to speak, gushing on and on about their whirlwind romance. There had been a wedding ceremony (of sorts), a honeymoon, and of course a string of romantic escapades that had culminated in this miraculous pregnancy.

"Man, I wish I could have a taste," Gagaran was now saying, after Evileye had sternly told her off about Momon's apparent "size". The other woman seemingly didn't believe that the man had a huge package, considering the implication that it didn't look as if Evileye's body could have accommodated anything large.

"Careful with what you say, you big oaf," Tia said. "Evileye's looking particularly murderous. She could poison you the next time we eat."

"If you seriously want me to believe that Momon is as you say, my friend," Gagaran said guilelessly, "Then you wouldn't refuse to give us an account of how exactly he fit inside you? Did you use some sort of enhancing magic? I hear tell that's how some nobles do the dirty with certain demihuman species."

"Ugh, that's disgusting, Gagaran," Tina said, rolling her eyes. "Where the heck did you learn that?"

"You learn a lot of things when you get to my level!" Gagaran said defensively. "It just comes up in conversation, especially when you're looking to blackmail a noble for his gold."

"Well, try not to anger Evileye further with insinuations like that," Tia said.

"And we didn't use any magic!" Evileye said hotly.

"Oh?" Gagaran seemed to be smiling now. "Well then, I'll choose to believe you my friend. But please tell us more."

"Why the hell should I? It's none of your business!"

"Come on, we've told you our experiences plenty of times."

"More like boasted," Tia interjected.

"Again, it's none of your business! And you already told me this, believe me, I know! The dozen times you fools were drunk and I had to listen to you go on and on about this or that man, or cocks or dicks or whatever else came out your dirty mouths…" Evileye sighed.

"Oh, so you do remember that!" Gagaran said, laughing. "Well, now you can exact vengeance, my friend. Regale us with riveting, lewd tales of dicks and mouths and everything in between!"

Lakyus cleared her throat, forcing a pause in the conversation. She looked sideways. She had already finished her meal, having downed every last one of Evileye's sweet, medicinal gruel. She narrowed her eyes at them all. "Should you all really be talking like that, with a stranger present?"

At that they paused. All eyes instantly went to a spot on the far corner of the room, where the strange dark elf was standing, seemingly unminding of the ongoing conversation like a house plant blending into the decor. Lakyus had taken note of his presence from the time she'd gained consciousness, but she'd thought nothing of him until this time. Now with all this ribald talk flying around, she decided it was time to put her foot down—at least to salvage what dignity Blue Rose still had left.

She squinted at the figure, and saw more details than when she had initially seen them. She had seen elves and half-elves before, but she'd never seen a dark elf in the flesh. She now realized that the elf wasn't a female at all, but a very young-looking male with pretty, almost pubescent features. He was clad in a dark, woolen overcoat and was discreetly holding a small wooden stick in his one hand.

It was the elf's expression that arrested her attention most. It was cold and nearly expressionless. There was something unsettling about it, too, but perhaps that was just the way the room's dim atmosphere bent the light over his features, shrouding some of it in darkness.

Upon realizing that he was being scrutinized, the elf stirred, blinking. Emotion came, blending into his face. His eyes moved rapidly between them, before settling on Evileye's back.

"Oh right," their friend said. "I never properly introduced him. This here's my bodyguard, Mare. He's… Momon-sama's acquaintance, and has generously agreed to accompany me here, as a favor to Momon-sama." She raised a finger. "Now don't you try to embarrass yourselves with him. You don't want to have him tell Momon-sama about it."

"Well, if you say he's alright, then he's alright," Gagaran said, shrugging.

"Mare, was it?" Lakyus said. "Pardon me if this greeting is less than my ideal. But I wish to greet you all the same. Good day to you, and well met."

The elf opened his mouth as if to say something. Nothing came out but a squeak. Then he looked towards Evileye and walked towards her direction. At this, Evileye almost jumped in place, as the elf named Mare started to lurk just behind her, as if she was using Evileye as a shield.

"Oh, and also… He's kind of shy, so there's that too. Don't try too hard around him or you'll startle him. And then Momon-sama will know, and of course you'll make me very cross, too."

After a short period of silence, she and the others chuckled, and smiled warmly towards the mysterious elf.

"Well met, Mare," Tia said. "Don't worry, we don't bite."

"Well, not much of a bodyguard if he's this shy, isn't he?" Gagaran said.

"Oh, you're gonna have to trust me on this, oaf," Evileye said. "Don't mess with him, because even Momon-sama doesn't."

"Well that's too bad. Always wanted a cute elf to bully."

"There you go again," Tia said with a sigh.

"Please ignore them," Lakyus said. "I am most grateful to you for watching over our friend here."

Mare nodded, a little hesitantly. "You're welcome," he said, in a low voice, almost unintelligible.

"You don't have to worry if you're not comfortable with speaking with us yet," Lakyus said. "Gagaran is an acquired taste, and the twins are strange in their own ways."

"What?" Gagaran said. "Hey, I heard that Leader. The hell was that about being weird?"

Lakyus sighed. She propped herself up on her elbows. It was an effort to even lift herself up. "We all have our unique personalities," she said. "But please, Gagaran, dial it down for guests. Do I really have to lecture you while I'm… while I'm… urgh…"

She fell back on the bed. She felt weak all of a sudden. And sleepy, as if her whole body was suddenly made of lead. She felt as if the bed was suddenly made out of sand, and she was slowly sinking down beneath the surface.

"Oi! What's going on? Leader?"

"Calm down," Evileye said. She heard footsteps come closer, then felt a warm hand on her forehead. "It's just the medicine taking effect. She's gonna be out for a few hours, and hopefully she'll feel a lot better."

"Oh." Everything had turned dark, and soon she was slipping into a place she knew and did not know.

"Sweet dreams, Lakyus…" someone said, though she no longer knew who it was.

As she drifted off, her thoughts turned to the Re-Estize Kingdom, the foremost worry in her mind. What could they still do, in the middle of all this bloodshed and tragedy? Then her thoughts spoke to her, in words she could not grasp like sand blowing away in the wind. What irony it was, that they were now effectively trapped in a place that she had deemed anathema! The Sorcerous Kingdom was the last place she would expect to find any form of refuge.

Still, said the last lingering thought in her mind. If things continued as they did, then there was a chance they'd all be able to catch Evileye's childbirth. That would certainly be something to look forward to.

---

Deep inside the labyrinthine castle-tomb of Nazarick, past all the monsters and fiends guarding every one of its Floors, lay a trove of women, all of them blessed by the bounty of their union with Ainz Ooal Gown. One of these, Neia Baraja, was comfortably ensconced inside her personal chamber. As she sipped on sweet, hot tea, she was currently reading a thick book. It was a riveting story about a man and his encounter with a strange, demon-like creature, and she still didn't know if it was going to end up in a gruesome tragedy or something warmer and more wholesome.

Needless to say, Neia's very life and lifestyle had changed ever since she had fallen for the great Ainz Ooal Gown, who had then spirited her away (well, he had invited her and she had accepted gladly) to this wondrous place, filled with all sorts of ridiculous, fantastical things that she could never have conceived in her wildest imaginations. She was literally swaddled in luxury from all over, as if she were a member of royalty. Going from living frugally on a squire's meager pay, sleeping in cramped tents and eating stale rations on duty; to sleeping on luxurious beds and being pampered by beautiful maids and dining on scrumptious food was like she was living a very wonderful dream.

It wasn't as if she'd wanted for anything in her former life. Her father had been able to provide her with all that a child could hope for and more. The daughter of one of the Holy Kingdom's heroes was not so easily overlooked, unlike her soon-to-be-peers. But living as a squire with little hope for advancement (thanks to her mediocre skills) had been harsh and grueling. Soon, her fellows who had come from humbler backgrounds had surpassed her to become full-fledged anointed, leaving her still stuck as a squire.

Then, when her father died, all other avenues were lost. She would have to either stay in the army and hope that she could at least be anointed a paladin some twenty years down the line; or she would hope some kind, well-to-do man would consider her homely features pretty enough to ask for her hand.

The fact that Ainz-sama, a handsome, strong being surrounded by females much more beautiful than her had personally asked for her hand made her heart weep like no other. She had been expecting disappointment—that perhaps Ainz would be convinced that she was no great catch, or perhaps this was some sort of cruel trick. But this powerful sorcerer had accepted her, and had loved her beyond that. So she had no problems accepting the duty of bearing his children, along with the strange circumstance of the women bound to him. She knew this was some sort of polygamy, as certain demihumans practiced. She honestly didn't mind: the benefits far outweighed any of her feelings on the matter. After all, it was just a matter of realigning her perspectives and seeing through the lens of a culture that was entirely alien to her.

She snorted to herself. In all honesty, she was liking it more for the assurance of a safe, comfortable life. If she ended up getting fat and old and wrinkly bearing Ainz's stable of kids, then she would be more than satisfied. Far better than the expectation of dying in some muddy hole, blood smeared on her skin, and pain accompanying her to the breathless oblivion. Which was pretty much the fate of those in the Holy Kingdom armies now that war had once more breached their fragile peace.

Neia frowned and allowed her eyes to drift from the words written on the book. Even here in the most sacred of sanctums, it was hard to get away from news of the war. Ainz-sama had practically allowed them to catch a glimpse of the war and its combatants through his strange "seeing-eye" sorcery that allowed the mothers to watch the bloodshed and carnage in all its glory. She had been equal parts disturbed and fascinated by this piece of magic, for though it allowed them to observe everything without being found out, it also displayed far too keenly the gruesome realities of combat. And though she had been among those who had fought in Jaldabaoth's invasion, it was never a good thing to be reminded of bloodshed at all, in her opinion.

Still, that made her wonder what her father would have thought of the war. It had barely been a year since the end of Jaldabaoth, when Ainz-sama had delivered them all from the potential destruction that demon possessed. Now they were being embroiled in a war for reasons that she still didn't quite understand. As a squire she had never once thought of the Re-Estize Kingdom as a potential enemy. There were far too many things to worry about than petty war with a human state, such as the constant demihuman incursions that sapped away at their ranks constantly. Even now she still couldn't quite believe that they had even agreed to come to war, and wondered what her former comrades were thinking of when they were ordered to once more return to the fray after working for months rebuilding. There were sure to be lots of complaints. She felt a little embarrassed that she herself was able to avoid that entirely, as if she had been literally plucked by the hand of some god.

She was also sure that no matter the reasons, her father would definitely still have heeded the call to serve. She felt a little guilty she couldn't do the same as him, but he was a powerful man and she was just Neia. This was her own life now, and she was free to spend it however she pleased. Still, perhaps her father would be astonished that his bloodline would be forever tied to that of Nazarick's ruler. There was something grand about the notion, that her descendants would become great heroes in their own right, and they had sprung from her own humble loins.

She sipped at her tea and scrunched up her face when she found that it had gotten cold. She sighed and put away the book, marking her place lazily by placing it face down and open on her bed. Then she crawled off the bed and stretched her arms upward, ending with a mighty yawn. She smacked her lips and thought of ringing the bell for more tea. Then she decided that it sounded better to go to the larder herself.

It would have been easier to head to the Mother's Hall and partake of food there. But going to that place meant two things. First and foremost, she would have to be meeting the other mothers, a prospect she really didn't like. The other mothers were either indifferent or outright hostile to her. The only ones she could really get along with were Evileye, and she knew the other woman was out, along with Zesshi Zetsumei, though she was still a bit wary of the woman. Zesshi always talked to her with these suggestive comments about her finally joining in on "the fun"—meaning the orgies with Ainz-sama that she still didn't want to join.

Even the former Holy Queen and the Priestess treated her a little too formally, which was just as expected, considering the gap between their former lives. They both had occupied high places, and she had been a mere squire. Even if they were now effectively equal as Ainz-sama's lovers, in private they still held to that distinction, and even now treated her with the snobbish politeness that came with dealing with the lower classes. And of course, those like Albedo and Shalltear downright terrified her, and she always took care not to cross their paths.

The second reason was because of the mysterious spell that Ainz-sama had set up. Though she had been a soldier who had seen her fair share of war, she still could not quite stomach the sight of wanton slaughter and bloodshed, especially when it involved some of her former comrades. She didn't want to somehow recognize a sigil or armor, or see someone's head lop off and herself identifying it as someone whom she'd just met a few months back. It was too unnerving, and so she only went to the Hall when she was summoned by the healers for the routine check-up on her pregnancy.

So off to the larder she went, to see if she could snipe some freshly made food.

"Ow!"

"Kya!"

As she rounded the corner, she ended up bumping into someone. The impact almost sent her sprawling onto the floor, but luckily she was able to lean against the nearby wall for balance. Panting, she looked up and saw that the one she'd bumped into was none other than Cixous, one of the maids she knew. The other blonde gasped as soon as she caught sight of her face, and immediately rushed forward to fuss over.

"My most deepest apologies, Neia-sama!" she wailed. "Are you hurt? Please tell me if you are! Allow me to offer my sincerest apologies for that slight! Oh, please tell me you're alright!"

Neia smiled and waved the maid off. "Nah, I'm fine, just fine. I ain't that pregnant yet." It had been a bit close, considering that she was now feeling the presence of these twins a little more now her pregnancy had advanced. Still, there was no point berating the maid, since nothing had happened. It would have felt a bit too presumptuous to become mad for so small a slight. Also, these maids were people she at least didn't need to fear.

"Oh, if you're sure! But please, if you're feeling anything, anything at all, please tell me! Your safety and well-being is my utmost priority!"

Neia suppressed an urge to grin. It felt… nice to be pampered for like this, by Cixous and everyone else who was caring for the mothers. Being fussed over by a literal stable of maids was something she knew few others would ever experience in their lives.

"It really is fine. But do try to be more careful in the future huh?"

Cixous bowed again and again. "You have my greatest assurances, Neia-sama! I shall work hard to look around corners as swiftly and carefully as I can in the future! That is my promise!"

Neia chuckled. "Well, that's good."

"Oh, Neia-sama…" Cixous tilted her head, then looked behind her. "Are you by any chance going to the kitchens?"

Neia fought an urge to blush, then nodded. "Yep. As usual."

"Then allow me to escort you!"

"Oh, there's really no need. I'll be fine walking there myself. And besides, didn't you just come from there!"

"Please think nothing of it!" Cixous insisted, clapping her hands together. "Allow me to make up for my previous failures, please! Ainz-sama would be very disappointed in me otherwise if I do not do that! I do not want to ever disappoint His Exalted Majesty!"

"Exalted Majesty?" Neia repeated, blinking. "Well… Well alright, then. If you're sure."

Cixous beamed. "Then, after you, Neia-sama. I shall be watching with keen and hawk-like eyes!" Neia smiled awkwardly at this overly eager behavior. While she did appreciate being served by Cixous and all the others, she was still largely unused to such high amounts of attention. Unlike her former Majesty, she had no experience with handling subordinates with "grace", or whatever that was called.

They went down towards the larder, that place the maids called the kitchen. As they stepped inside, Neia was instantly assaulted by the rich fragrance of a dozen different dishes, all freshly made, along with the scent of many uncorked casks of liquor (non-alcoholic, naturally). The many scents already sent her mind into overdrive of the tastes she was about to experience, from the faint tinge of spice on a seared chunk of meat to the cool, refreshing sweetness of squeezed fruit coursing down her gullet.

This small place was where the food intended for the Mother's Hall, which dutiful maids would pick up and deliver en masse to ensure that the Hall was well-stocked with food for them at all times of the day. For all the times she'd come here, she still didn't quite know how it was made. There was no one she could see visibly cooking or preparing the food, and neither had she caught anyone bringing the food here from somewhere else. It was always there and readied, with no indication as to their creators. And of course, when she'd asked any of the maids, all of them answered by staring back with a look that meant "It's quite obvious to any one of us Neia-sama, is it not?"

No it wasn't! she'd tried to shout back, but it was no use getting upset about this thing. It was just a minor mystery, nothing else. And besides, the food always remained as delicious as ever, no matter their mysterious origins.

"… -sama..? Neia-sama?" Cixous was saying.

"Oh!" Neia almost jumped, and caught herself nearly drooling from the side of her mouth. She blushed and hid her face, ashamed at actually becoming all loose and slovenly like that, like she was some lowly dog who was only here to gorge itself on the food. She cleared her throat and said, "Er… yes?"

"We're here Neia-sama," Cixous continued, saying nothing of what Neia had done. "Was there anything in particular you wanted?"

"Oh…" She looked around. "Hold on just a second."

"As it pleases you, Neia-sama."

Neia made a point of looking around and peering down at the table of assembled food. She breathed in the scents of every dish she passed, causing her stomach to rumble hard. She didn't know exactly why she was getting so hungry all the time. When she'd asked the healers hesitantly, they had gone and assured her that it was all normal for a pregnant woman, especially a woman who was expecting twins. But that didn't explain why Zesshi didn't seem to have the same humongous appetite as her, at least not that she saw.

"Neia-sama," Cixous asked again.

"Yes?"

"If it might not bee too impudent," the maid asked, looking awkward. "Would you allow me to eat here now as well?"

"Oh, that's fine, that's fine, go ahead," Neia said. This larder was apparently also a place for the maids to eat if they wanted, as there were several smaller tables and chairs set towards the sides. In all honesty, even this part of Nazarick looked cleaner and neater than anything she'd ever seen in the "outside" world. The table was made of some form of hard wood and was painted to look like beautiful sea-green marble. The seats, while hard-backed and stiff, were at least smoothly polished and comfortable, a far cry from the rum-soaked, rotted, termite-infested things she was more used to using, back in the "outside" world.

Cixous smiled and curtsied. "Thank you Neia-sama." Apparently, the maids were always polite, and were never supposed to eat in the presence of their superiors. Fortunately, Neia'd already made a link with them, which made it easier for them to ask permission for this. Technically, it was well within her power to forbid them, but that wouldn't be good for her, she reasoned. Better to not make more enemies than was necessary.

She poked around at the finger foods, taking two or three pieces and munching on them. Each was of course delightfully scrumptious, and she took a bit of time just going around the serving tables and eating what she could; before she stopped and remembered where she was. Cixous was literally just standing right there behind her watching her pigging out on the food. While she was safe from their ridicule, she wasn't safe from them spreading the rumor around. And it wouldn't even be something they did out of malicious spite. As Zesshi explained it, it was a security feature in Nazarick to ensure that there would be nothing secretive being planned to undermine Ainz-sama.

She cleared her throat and turned around, prepared to offer some weak explanation; whereupon she did a double-take. Without her noticing it, the maid had put a lot of steaming hot food on her plate, almost making a literal mountain of it. Neia noticed that most of it was bacon. The maid had gone on to sit at one of the tables and had already started wolfing down on the food she had gathered for herself. And it was indeed a sort of "wolfing down", as the maid despite her delicate, lady-like appearance was literally inhaling strips of bacon into her mouth as she ate. It was almost eerie to watch.

Neia took her own plate and filled it up, before approaching Cixous' table and joining her. Upon seeing her, the maid stopped dutifully and dabbed at the grease covering her lips with a piece of cloth. "Ah, Neia-sama," she said. "My apologies for this unwholesome appearance of mine."

"Oh, no, don't be," said Neia, waving her hands. "We're all here to eat, no need to stop on my account. Go ahead. Still…" she stared at the amount of food on Cixous' plate. Compared to her, it was like matching a mountain against a hill. "…Are you really… fine with that amount?"

"Yep!" Cixous said, nodding enthusiastically. She seemed to have no qualms talking with a mouth full of meat. "It gives us maids a ton of energy for the day!"

"Ahhh… indeed." Neia truly had nothing to say to that. She seemed to have a really big stomach or something. For a while, they ate in silence, each attending to their own dish.

"If it is not too impudent to ask, Neia-sama," Cixous then said. "But why are you not using the Mother's Hall to eat? It seems rather an insult for an exalted one such as yourself to be eating down here, with us unworthy maids!"

Neia chewed slowly before swallowing. "Now, now, I did agree to not say anything to Ainz, so you will forgive me for asking that you not say or ask anything about what I'm doing here," she said. Give and take, was that not how the world worked? "I have my own reasons that I'd rather not divulge. And I'll leave it at that."

Cixous nodded slowly. "Very well, Neia-sama. I do get your point. Still it feels rather strange that One who has been granted the privilege of bearing the child of the Wisest of All should be wasting their time here."

Neia blinked rapidly, as the wheels in her brain spun. "Um… the 'Wisest'…? What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, my apologies, but that is simply the title that I have applied to the lord and master of the Tomb, Ainz Ooal Gown-sama! For he is, after all, Wisest of All. Do you not think so, Neia-sama?"

"Oh yeah, yeah, right," Neia said, nodding her head. "I guess you could call him that. He is indeed truly strong… and… and wise."

"I know what you're possible thinking," the maid said with a wide grin. "You think that Ainz-sama is too great a personage to be bound by a simple, single title. For, after all, he is much greater than that. And that is true. Mere titles like these are not enough to describe his splendor, his grace, his power, his wisdom—everything that he is! I do not mean to insult Ainz-sama at all by giving him these titles. On the contrary this is born from my deepest respect for him."

Neia leaned back, a little unnerved by the sheer intensity of the fire burning on Cixous' eyes. Her fervor was a little alarming, almost reminding her of religious proselytizers from the temples. All she could do was swallow her food and nod anxiously so as not to set them off to do something even more outrageous.

"Yes…" she said. "Yes, that's right!"

Cixous beamed. "Well of course Neia-sama would know better than anyone. You're essentially Ainz-sama's bride after all! You and all the rest are the ones who know him better than anyone else."

"Well, that is true…"

"What do you think Ainz-sama's title should be, Neia-sama?"

"What do I…" Neia trailed off. She swallowed anxiously. "That's, um… I don't know…"

"C'mon… tell me, tell me!"

"I, too, would like to know… ~su…"

Neia nearly leaped out of her skin at the sudden voice that suddenly intruded into their conversation. Thankfully she wasn't eating anything anymore so her coughing fit only lasted a few seconds. She turned her head, and followed Cixous' gaze towards the door, where another mother stood.

"Lupusregina-sama!" Cixous cried, greeting the other maid enthusiastically.

The red-haired mother, still wearing the uniform of the Pleiades maids, sauntered into the room. Despite her heavy pregnancy of almost eight months, she still possessed a certain predatory sinuousness in her movements. She reached their table and looked around, her glittering amber eyes wandering over the small room.

"Interesting to see you both here, su~ It's like two friends having a lovely time, hm?" she said. She looked inquisitively between them, and grinned.

Something in her voice sent a warning sign to Neia's mind, causing her body to tense, as if she was staring down a snake in the room. She didn't exactly know why. Surely the other mother wouldn't dare attack her… right? Clueless to everything, Cixous answered with her usual frank and bright enthusiasm: "Oh yes! We were just having a little break! Would you care to join us in our meals, Lupusregina-sama?"

"Oh, that sounds like a good idea, su~~ But, let's see…" Lupus narrowed her eyes as she glanced at Neia. Her expression shifted to a more pleasant one when Cixous stood and prepared the chair for her to sit. "Thank you, little sister," she said sweetly. Unfortunately, this meant that Lupus wound up sitting right next to Neia, practically within arms' length.

"So anyway, as I was asking you both, what's the story here? Why do I see a mother for Ainz-sama eating at a table down here with one of the maids, su~? Is this some sort of party? Hm? Are we celebrating anything? In private?"

Neia could sense that the pleasant tone that Lupusregina was exuding was laced with entirely different undertones. It was as if she was forcing herself to smile and speak like this, as if she had put on a mask that was stretching uncomfortably over her face.

Even Cixous seemed to have noticed this change in her usual demeanor, as she'd cocked her head and asked, "My pardons, Lupusregina-sama, but is there something the matter? You're sounding awfully different. Are you hungry by any chance?"

"Hungry?" After repeating the word, Lupus licked her lips. She glanced slyly towards Neia, who shuddered from her gaze. It really felt as if she was being sized up like a meal to be eaten. "Yes… Perhaps I am a bit hungry. But it's just a whole bunch of work to stand up now that I've sat down like this, su~ I am a tired, dutiful mother after all~"

"Oh, in that case," Cixous said cheerfully, clapping her hands together. "I can be of some assistance! What would you like in particular?"

"Is that alright?" Lupus asked with a gasp. "But… surely not, I don't think I can, su~~ We're both fellow maids, and it would feel awful wrong to have to—"

"Oh, no, please, don't think anything about it, Lupusregina-sama! You're special now, we both know that. Please, allow me to assist you."

"Oh right… That's right… We are indeed special." Upon saying those words, Neia caught Lupusregina flashing a glance towards her. "Alright then," she continued brightly. "If you want, I'd really love one of my favorite dishes. You know: raw. Bloody. Fresh."

"Ah, of course." Cixous looked back towards the table with all the food and sighed. It seemed that nothing on the table quite fit the criteria Lupus was looking for. "Well, it seems I shall need to head to the other place for it. Please wait for a bit, my lady."

"That's fine. We'll be just right here…" Lupus sighed semi-dramatically as she turned to Neia. "…Waiting patiently for your return."

Cixous curtsied and hurried outside, leaving Neia alone inside the kitchen with Lupusregina Beta.

She didn't really know what to make of her fellow Mother, as with most of the rest of them. Though she liked Evileye and was grateful for Zesshi's apparent support, she really couldn't see herself considering either of them as "friends". And those two were the ones who at least treated her with kindness. Her Holy Majesty and the High Priestess were cold, and that shifty-eyed Clementine acted too much like a common tavern whore to be approachable. Then, of course, there were the others who acted downright antagonistic towards her, which were the rest of them, such as Narberal Gamma or Shalltear Bloodfallen.

Even Yuri Alpha, who acted the politest among her "sisters" towards Neia, still seemed to treat her as if she were "different", like someone who had invited a friendly demihuman as a guest. Back in the Holy Kingdom, such a thing was totally unheard of, and should that have really happened, many people would have rightfully questioned the inviter's sanity. Yuri Alpha was the dutiful servant who, despite seeing wrongdoing in front of her eyes, was still willing to perform her duties with perfunctory ease.

Whenever Ainz-sama was present, all of the Mothers were always quick to act as kind and sweet, even on each other. Yet as their fellow, Neia could easily sense their displeasure, and the swift undercurrent of competition that coursed beneath the surface. It was very much apparent when it came to Zesshi Zetsumei and Albedo, both fierce women who wielded their womanly charms like a weapon in many bold attempts to influence Ainz-sama this way or that. They clashed frequently like two warring predators, and it usually took a lot of effort to avoid getting drawn into their radius. Neia was thankful that Zesshi seemed to treat her kindly, else life without Ainz-sama in this place would have been a whole lot more uncomfortable.

Now, of course, here was Lupusregina Beta, one of the Pleiades maids who were far stronger than the normal ones like Cixous. The woman always sounded sweet and cheerful, both around Ainz and otherwise, yet all throughout she could sense the naked hostility emanating towards her from the woman. And now at this very moment, she could feel it most keenly, like heat from a boiling kettle.

Well, Neia wouldn't be scared. She was born to be a warrior, and even if she wasn't quite as good as it as she wanted, it was still enough for her to steel her heart and gather her courage. Then she asked, trying desperately to suppress any squeak in her voice, "Why is it that you seem to dislike me?"

Lupus' eyes cringled. "Huh~ Do I really give you that impression? Silly little human. I don't dislike you." Then, quick as lightning she seized one of the table knives and slammed it, causing Neia to jerk back in surprise, her heart beating loud and fast. "I… haaaaaate you, su~~" she drawled, drawing out the word hate for a long time. She let go of the knife, leaving it impaled on the wood. Her smile was still plastered on her face, though, which made her expression all the more unnerving.

"Eh?"

"You're a curious little creature who managed to worm her way into this place, and I really, really do not like it, I do not, su~" Lupusregina continued in a sing-song voice. "You're weak and offer nothing to him at all, su~ It is a mystery why a man as great as Ainz-sama would ever want to mate with an inferior being such as yourself. It's like a bad joke, su~" Somehow, the words hurt despite the anger she felt for herself. She had heard those same words repeated, but only in the darkness of her mind when she was alone. She did not appreciate someone else saying those things. She opened her mouth, as if to give the other mother a piece of her mind.

But before she could, Lupus had already sighed and patted her swollen, bulging belly. "But of course, there's nothing I can do about it~ It's Ainz-sama's decision after all, and his Word is Law." A wicked gleam entered her expression. "But you still better watch out for yourself, Neia-sama. I'm not the only one who doesn't like you~"

"Why?" Neia demanded. "Why, what have I ever done bad against you or anyone else?"

"Oh no no, I am done talking about boring little things, fragile human," Lupus said, while stretching her arms with a pleasant purring sound. "What I do want to talk about now is…" she leaned closer, planting her elbows on the table and placing her chin on her upstretched palm. "When are you going to start joining in with our little 'parties'?"

Neia scowled. "I beg your pardon?"

"I get it, you're shy, or maybe you don't want your secrets to get revealed? Whichever the case may be, it's no reason to exclude yourself from the festivities. Even if Ainz-sama allows it, why keep yourself from all the fun?"

Neia shook her head and huffed in annoyance. Whatever her feelings for the woman were before, now she felt a little bit of her courage rise in defense of her own dignity.

"I'll thank you to keep your opinions to yourself," she said coldly. "My relationship with Ainz-sama is sweet, and intimate. And precious. I am not going to taint it with whatever games you want to play. Leave me alone, please."

"Tell me, mortal, do you honestly think that's enough for Ainz-sama?" Lupusregina said with a chuckle. "Let's face it, you've got nothing much to offer except whatever Ainz-sama seems to see in you. But in the end you're only one woman."

"Shut up! Ainz-sama said—"

"'Ainz-sama said'," Lupusregina repeated cruelly, mimicking her voice intonation. "Are you stupid or something? Is your brain empty? Do you not see that Ainz-sama will want to add more and more to his side? More and more who will occupy his attention… no, his love. And yet you remain flat out boring, mortal. Just a plain old human with nothing much about her but her womb. You know what Ainz will do in the future? He'll just cum inside you once and let you on your way, while he goes to mount some other, better woman who'll give his masterful cock the attention it deserves."

"Ainz-sama… Ainz-sama would never do that…" Neia said, scowling.

Lupusregina snorted, and then bared her sharp teeth in a smile. "Maybe he will. Maybe he won't. But I won't be taking any chances, su~ Even if I know I'm never going to be on the level of Albedo-sama or Shalltear-sama, I do want to aim to be second best! And I don't see you there with me, su~ Not even if you try to fight or whatever you dull insects do."

"Why you—" Before she could launch into her own righteous tirade, there came a flurry of footsteps from outside. It was Cixous, almost breathless as she dashed through the door and came up to address Lupusregina.

"My apologies, Lupusregina-sama, I could not get what you wanted! But that was because the Master called upon me to find you! You are to report to Him at His office immediately!"

"Ainz-sama?" Neia said.

"Me?" Lupusregina hesitated for a second. Then her surprised face turned sly as she glanced back at Neia. "And only me?"

"I—yes—He has asked for you," Cixous raised a brow, as if she was confused.

"Well well," Lupus murmured before barking out a loud laugh.

"Lupusregina-sama?" Cixous asked inquiringly.

"Oh, lookie here, little, pathetic human~ Am I just being proven right by Ainz-sama directly su~?" Her smile turned downright cruel as she sashayed past a clueless Cixous. She looked back over her shoulder at Neia, looking as smug and superior as can be. "I guess this proves my point, huh, mortal? Fuheheheh~ I look forward to speaking with you next time." She made some humming noises as she walked out the door.

"Um…" As Cixous looked on, Lupusregina swiftly left after leaving that parting shot. Then, she looked towards Neia, puzzled. "What was that about, Neia-sama?"

Neia pursed her lips, both angry and disturbed by the other mother. "… It's nothing. Pay it no mind."

Cixous sighed loudly. "Yes, indeed… She's a Pleiades, so you never really know what one of them are thinking…"

Neia had no answer to that. But rather than feeling cowed, she felt her own righteous anger bubbling up beneath the surface of her emotions. It was one thing to be scared of her lot with Ainz-sama. But it was another thing when others tried to actively sabotage it, no matter who they were. Lupusregina, Albedo, whoever it was, she wouldn't let anything get between her and a quiet, happy life with Ainz-sama.

---

Lupusregina Beta kept on humming pleasantly to herself as she strolled through the corridors of Nazarick towards Ainz Ooal Gown's office. She had to admit that it had felt good sticking it to that upstart insect for daring to think of herself as an equal to the rest of them. Lupus hadn't been impressed at all with anyone who came outside of Nazarick—excepting for Clementine perhaps, but she was supposed to become an interesting pet, not someone Ainz-sama chose to be a mother. It had surprised her when Ainz had instead taken her as one of his mothers. She had been very puzzled at that, along with all the other outsiders he had taken into Nazarick to join them. She just could not understand the Great One's reasoning.

And that Neia was the worst of the bunch, a literal weakling of a mortal that could have easily been crushed twice over in the duration of her stay in this tomb. Far weaker than any of the rest of them, who were already a far step weaker than those who were from Nazarick.

It was always amusing to hear some of her sisters and the vampire Shalltear pronouncing and repeating these points again and again. And it felt good reciting them directly to Neia Baraja, and then watching her squirm in reaction! It felt good toying with an annoying human like that. Still, personally she didn't really care about stuff like that. She just liked the raw, raunchy mating sex she experienced with Ainz-sama, especially when he deigned to morph into a form suitable for her species. It always felt good to have an alpha male properly take care of her needs. And she felt more ready than ever to take care of their first ever pup a few months down the line.

And the orgies were a pretty nice touch, like extra prey caught in her jaws. They were amusing to watch and experience, as she was able to see her male rutting with and dominating various females while also being able to show off her primal connection to the master. On this point did she really view the mortal poorly, as who would ever want to willingly deny themselves as great a pleasure like this? Stupid toys who didn't know their place. Even Clementine was a great sport about it, and in her opinion she was a rival to be outmatched in the games of sex with Ainz-sama.

Lupusregina quickly forgot all about Neia Baraja and the previous conversation as her thoughts turned more towards Ainz. What was he calling her to the office for? Surely it couldn't be for mating? But shouldn't it go according to the schedule, and in the proper places? While she wouldn't refuse the office location, it was strange that it would be at the office, considering that she hadn't been bred there before. Oh well, there was always a first time for anything. She was ready regardless.

Right outside the Master's office, she saw her sister, Yuri Alpha standing there. She stirred when she arrived, proudly displaying her pregnant belly out to her fellow Pleiades. She knew full well of her sister's private frustrations that she hadn't been able to get pregnant as quickly as her, and always opted to show off the difference in their sizes as much as possible.

"Ah, Lupusregina, you made it. Good. Ainz-sama has been waiting for you."

"Hello~su, sister! How's it going?" Lupus greeted back. "Do you know why exactly?"

"Why do you even need to ask?" Yuri said. "When the Master beckons, we must answer."

"True, true."

From behind the door, she could hear voices. She recognized them as Ainz-sama's and Aura's voices.

"...If we could train them up at the same time, we'd be able to get them ready for use much faster!" came Aura's cheerful voice.

"Hm, would you be able to handle that Aura? That seems like a tall order," came Ainz's rumbling voice. "Not to mention the fact that it might take up a lot of time from your current duties. How will you be able to manage?"

"Leave that to me, Ainz-sama! I will certainly do my best to meet, no, exceed your expectations! I will be working extra hard... and smart too! And of course I'll work these babies hard, to the bone. I can definitely do it, Ainz-sama!"

"Well, rest assured that you will have everything you need, Aura," Ainz said.

"I will do that, certainly, Ainz-sama," Aura replied. The dark elf sounded cheerful. "Don't worry, with their help, I can certainly bring these new pets in line. I guarantee it!"

"Very good."

Lupus shrugged to herself. Well, if Aura was here, then it definitely wasn't for mating, so it was related to business then.

"Go on in," Yuri urged. "I'll be right behind you."

"Pardon the intrusion, su~!" she said cheerfully as she crossed the threshold of the door and into the office.

Inside, there were more than just Ainz-sama waiting. Ainz Ooal Gown himself sat behind his desk, listening to something that the dark elf Aura was telling him. The latter stood directly in front of the desk, her hands clasped behind her and her posture stiff and upright as if she was giving some sort of military report.

Beside her was Albedo seated on a chair, heavily pregnant, and dressed in the official maternity clothes of Nazarick—loose fitting robes that allowed for easy undressing plus access to any one of her holes should Ainz-sama need it. It also allowed for freedom of movement for those mothers who needed it most, especially for mothers who were in the later parts of pregnancy. The Overseer was poring over sheafs of paper with a dutiful expression on her face.

Zesshi Zetsumei, who was sitting directly on the desk, her feet dangling over the edge, was also wearing the same getup. For her part she was turned away, as she was busy watching something through the Lens of Remote Viewing that Ainz-sama had set up for her. It showed the image of a distant battlefield, where indistinct figures swarmed like a hive of insects.

Upon her loud greeting, everyone in the room paused in their work and looked towards her. Lupus found herself subconsciously freezing at being suddenly at the center of attention from all sides, even from her sister who was standing right behind her.

"Ah, good, Lupusregina Beta," said the Master. "You're here."

"Reporting as instructed, my lord!" she chirped.

"Hmph…" Ainz only made that small noise as he leaned on his elbow, while staring at her. Eventually, Lupus grew nervous at the close scrutiny, as if she was being vivisected alive by his gaze.

"Ummm…" she said.

"It has come to my attention, Lupusregina Beta," Ainz said in his commanding, booming voice. "That you have been reported to have been spent quite a long while outside of the Tomb. Alone, I might add. Where, exactly, have you been?" The question was such that there was no mistaking the ironclad intent behind it. Lupusregina found herself freezing, before she turned stiffly back towards her sister.

Yuri Alpha's face was impassive, even as Lupusregina tried to search it intently, trying to see if her sister had been the one to rat her out. When Yuri only stared back blankly, she turned slowly back towards Ainz, and towards the barrage of stares that fixed her in place like traps encircling a predator.

She giggled, then stopped. Then she cleared her throat. "Ummm… Well, Ainz-sama… You see…"

---

Chapter commissioned by UltraSpink of Da USA, thank you. A reminder that the story is commissioned.

If you'd like a story commissioned, feel free to contact me here, or on archiveofourown under "RHoldhous".