Neia woke up to a morning warmer than most have been in the last few weeks.
It was the first day of spring, and her 18th birthday.
She sat up despite not being quite rested yet, and let out a big yawn.
Last night was yet another one where she worked very hard, for far longer than she normally would. Ainz had urged her to clear her schedule for the following week or so, but in order to do that, she also had to deal with the pile which built up over the course of their honeymoon.
And she didn't even know why he recommended such a thing. It probably had something to do with the birthday gift, but he wouldn't tell her what that gift was.
After stretching for a bit, Neia got up, and went to fetch her breakfast.
Unlocking the chest, she saw a decently-sized pile of cheeseburgers and fries, accompanied by some coke.
She took the platter out with a smile, as this was one of her favourite meals. She even got to send letters to the head chef of Nazarick to adjust each specific meal to her exact preferences, and so she knew that the fries would be especially salty, and that all the burgers would contain two extra pickle slices.
Putting the food down on the table in the centre of the bedroom, she did not hesitate to get right to eating.
...
After finishing her meal, Neia burped a little, which she was rather ashamed of right after. There was of course no one there to witness her unladylike display, but still…
She then put the dishes back in the chest, and locked it again.
With yet another stretch, she now felt fully awake.
And so, she headed for the door.
Opening it, she saw the maid who would accompany her for today.
"Y-Your Majesty!"
"Hello, Amelia."
It was the first time the young maid would accompany her for real, and so she was probably quite nervous. Though she wouldn't actually have to do much, since Neia would spend most of today with her husband.
"It's time for me to take my bath."
"O-of course, Your Holiness! Follow me!"
...
After making sure her entire body was clean and shaved, Neia reached for the towel.
Her hair now reached below her breasts, and so it took far longer to dry than it did when she was still a soldier, and used to cut it regularly.
With a towel on her head and a bathrobe covering her body, she stepped out, spooking the young maid again.
...
She was now fed, clean, dry and properly dressed. In only a few moments, her darling would appear again, and probably give her that gift, whatever it was.
It's been a few days since they were last together, and even though they recently started exchanging daily letters, she still missed him a great deal whenever she wasn't with him.
Would it ever be possible for her to request that she live with him in Nazarick? Well, he was surely very busy... but even if they both worked all the time, doing so in the same room would make her far happier than when she was alone. Maybe she could simply sit in his lap when he needed to do his own thing? No, that would probably be too distracting... could she really not figure out a way for them to be together more?
Just then, he appeared in the room.
"Darling!"
She quickly got up and hugged him without waiting for permission.
"Hello, Neia."
He hugged back.
They then simply remained like that for several moments.
"... Neia? Let's go sit down."
"Of course, Ainz."
They walked over, holding each other's hand.
He then gestured that she should stand for a moment, and after sitting down, invited her into his lap.
She accepted with a blush and a happy little squeak, making him chuckle warmly.
"So, Neia. How's everything been?"
"I did a lot of work to make sure I had this week free, like you said. It was really hard, considering there was already a lot piled up from the honeymoon."
"Ah, I'm sorry about that... Hopefully you'll forgive me when you find out why I told you that."
"Don't worry at all, darling."
"... So, anything else? How's the training of that new maid going?"
"Quite well. She's a hard worker."
He nodded.
"I would hope so."
After that, there was only silence. She simply looked into his eyes happily. Though Ainz didn't really have anything to indicate how he felt or what he thought, she could tell from very subtle signs that he was at least relaxed.
Suddenly, he moved to stroke her cheek.
"Hmh!"
This forced another strange noise out of her and made her blush again, far harder this time.
After the surprise wore off, she started smiling, and closed her eyes to fully enjoy this beautiful gesture.
...
Unfortunately, he only continued to stroke her cheek for a minute or two.
She tried to not let the disappointment about him stopping show on her face, but some of it probably did.
"... So, Neia... about your birthday gift..."
"Yes, darling?"
"It's time you find out what it is. It is waiting for you in Nazarick."
He said that in a somewhat unusual tone, but she couldn't quite identify the subtle emotions which seeped in.
...
Neia was taken to one of the Floors of Nazarick, though she was not supposed to know which, or how many there even were, exactly. It was the one which looked like the inside of a most beautiful palace, where the baths were also located.
They walked while holding hands for quite a bit, passing many maids on the way, each of which bowed to them.
And then, they turned a corner. Neia saw another maid, but this one looked far different from the rest.
Instead of being a beautiful human-looking woman, this one was like a dog who merely had the shape of a human. A great scar ran along what Neia could see of her body, splitting it in half vertically, and it was accompanied by stitch marks.
This maid bowed.
"Lord Ainz… woof."
"Raise your head, Pestonya. So, is everything ready? You haven't used [Message], so I assume there have been no incidents?"
"Not at all, woof."
Hearing this, Ainz sighed loudly.
"Ah, that's good..."
Then, he turned back to Neia.
"Are you ready to receive your gift?"
"Uhm... I believe so? This is all a little strange, darling."
"Everything will make sense in just a moment... Pestonya, go on."
He released her hand, and walked over to the maid, who went on to open one of the several doors which were behind her.
When all of them entered the room, which was lit rather poorly, Ainz walked further back into a particularly dark corner, and Neia saw that there was yet another maid standing inside. In the back of this room was a bed, and on it lay a sleeping person… At least it seemed like they were sleeping.
She looked at Ainz, who was just watching her silently.
"Go on, Neia..."
An idea flashed into her mind. Could it be...
She walked over to the bed, slowly getting a better angle from which to see the person's face.
As she got closer and closer, her heart started beating faster and tears started to slowly appear. She recognised who it was.
"... M-mom?"
Her final few steps were quick, and she was now above the bed.
"Mom! Mom!"
With tears in her eyes, Neia watched her mother slowly start shuffling around, eventually opening her eyes.
"... Neia... Neia? W-what... where am I?"
"Mom... it's you... you're alive! You're back!"
Her mother sat up.
"W-what? I... remember the battle... the captain... wh-what happened? Why are you crying?"
The weeping Neia did not hesitate to hug her mother.
"Mom... you died... but you were brought back! You were dead for over a year... but now you're back!"
"I... I died? W-why was I brought back? And in a year? I don't understand. You'll have to slow down, sweetheart, please."
Neia pulled away and nodded.
"Okay... it all happened back then... the demi-humans led by the demon emperor... they killed so many..."
She paused between sentences to wipe her tears and collect her thoughts. She was so happy that it was hard to think. Still, as shaky as her voice was, she was determined to explain everything.
"But then darling came! He saved us, mom!... Darling? Why are you standing so far back?"
She turned towards Ainz, who said nothing as he took a single step out of the shadows.
Her mother then followed her gaze and...
"A-a-an u-undead? W-w-w-what?"
"M-mom?! Don't be rude to him! That's my husband!"
There was no anger in Neia's voice. It was more pleading than anything.
When her mother looked at her, it was only her eyes that moved, the rest of her body frozen.
"Your... y-your husband? W-what?..."
"Ugh, mom! Come on, introduce yourself."
Ainz took one more step, making her mother flinch.
"It's fine, Neia. I understand your mother must be frightened by me. I do not blame her at all."
"... are you sure, darling?"
"Of course. I expected worse, honestly... uhm, Mrs. Baraja?"
"Y-y-yes?"
Her tone was both bewildered and horrified.
"I am deeply sorry for putting you in such a confusing situation. Perhaps I should have waited outside?... Well, I am Ainz Ooal Gown, your son-in-law."
"I... huh?"
"Mom, you're being so rude!"
Neia once again adopted a tone best described as pleading. She was desperate for everything to go well. She wanted the people most important to her to get along, but this didn't look good at all.
If Ainz felt hurt by their distrust of him just because of his nature, it might be really bad. She never really experienced anything like this, but she imagined that being treated poorly just because of what you were would hurt, especially if it was someone you wanted to build a relationship with. It seemed that her darling would be the type of person to really care about family like this, since that's how his son was.
"Please, Neia.. it's fine, really... And Sofia Baraja, may I explain your situation to you?"
"W-well... a-alright..."
"The demon Jaldabaoth led an army of demi-humans to destroy the Holy Kingdom, and you were killed during a battle. But the demon was eventually defeated, and the Holy Kingdom is currently... Well, the land and the people have recovered well from the attack. Your homeland is safe, so is your daughter, and so is your husband."
Much to Neia's continued dismay, her mother didn't seem to trust him, instead turning to her for confirmation.
"It's true, mom. Everything darling said is true."
While her mother was still processing all this, Ainz spoke again.
"But this is probably too much, isn't it, Mrs. Baraja? We can talk about everything in detail later. For now, why don't we go see your husband?"
"... Y-yes, please..."
Neia moved away from her mother, wiping away her tears again and bowing to her beloved.
"Thank you. Thank you so much, darling..."
"Ah, no need. This is something I should have done long ago. I do not deserve any thanks from you at all... ah, and it wasn't exactly my doing, either. Pestonya was the one who cast the spell."
Neia turned to the maid, and bowed again.
"Thank you, Lady Pestonya! Truly, I am so grateful!"
"No need. No need at all, woof."
...
Ainz watched a similar scene unfold for the second time. A crying Neia embraced her father, while Sofia stood right next to them, still seeming like she's completely confused about everything, and quite stressed out.
They were resurrected several days prior, and then put to sleep peacefully, waiting here for Neia. They were not brought back right in front of her to ensure nothing went wrong, as that might be rather traumatising, and Ainz would have to tamper with Neia's memories and just do it all again.
Either way, Pabel Baraja was now awakening properly, and entering that initial confusion of not knowing where he was, or why.
"W-where am I? Neia? Sofia? W-what happened?"
"Dad! You died but you were brought back! Look, that's Lady Pestonya, who performed the resurrection, and that's my husband, who arranged for it!"
"Your what?! Wh-"
Pabel then looked toward where she was pointing, which was right at Ainz.
Ainz didn't really know what he should do. Wave, maybe? No, that was probably a bit weird.
"Greetings, Mr. Baraja. I am Ainz Ooal Gown, your son-in-law."
Neia quickly added to his words.
"And don't be rude to him because he's undead! We'll explain everything soon, okay?"
Pabel looked to his wife, whose eyes betrayed concern. Even Ainz could see that much, but it was probably even more obvious to her husband.
"O-okay... if that's what you say, Neia..."
When Neia said "we'll explain" just before, Ainz got a bad feeling. Surely it was a bad idea if he was there, right? He turned to the head maid.
"Pestonya, take them to the next room. And Neia, please explain everything in my stead."
"Huh? You won't come?"
"It seems your parents are wary of me, so it would be best if I let you reunite with them in peace. I'm sure you have a lot to say, after all. I'll give you some time, and I can meet them properly after that. And then we'll talk to them both at once. Do take your time, I assume you will need at least a few hours, no?"
\\\
Neia's heart sank. Their relationship was already damaged. He didn't even want to be there as she reunited with her parents... he must have been really hurt because of how they judged him for being undead...
"Sorry mom, dad... just a moment, okay?"
She quickly made her way over to Ainz, which made both her parents tense up, further making her feel terrible.
She then whispered to him, trying to soothe the pain he probably felt.
"Darling, I am so sorry about this... they just don't know any better..."
"Don't worry at all. Like I said a few times already, it's only to be expected, really."
"... Before you leave, could we kiss?"
"Of course."
He lowered himself to her level, and she lovingly kissed his bony cheek. Afterward, he put his head next to hers, and they rubbed cheeks together for just a moment while he caressed the back of her head.
"If that's all, I will leave the rest to Pestonya."
"Yes, darling!"
"Goodbye for now."
He then walked back out the door.
After he closed it, Neia turned to her parents, and saw that their mouths were wide open.
It seemed their kiss in particular shocked them.
Shouldn't they expect something like this? They were married, after all...
...
After Neia thanked Pestonya again, the maid closed the door behind her, and the family was left alone in a different room, this one being properly lit. On the table in its centre, there was food and water.
"Mom, dad..."
She stepped closer, and hugged them both at once, and they of course hugged back.
"You've both been dead for so long... I am so happy to finally have you back..."
Sofia responded.
"Of course, Neia... I'm also very happy to see you..."
They all stood there like that for quite a while before Neia pulled back.
"But we shouldn't keep His Majesty waiting... oh, uhm, by that I mean my husband!"
This made both of them look at her with confusion again.
It seemed she reverted back to that bad habit due to getting distracted so much.
"Uhm, he's a king, you see! He's the king of the Sorcerer Kingdom!"
The pair looked to each other with more concern and shock, though Neia wasn't exactly sure why. It might sound too good to be true, but they've had some time to adjust now, right?
"A-are you a queen?!"
"Oh, not at all, dad! Just the High Priestess back home, though I suppose it's not an actual official position anymore..."
She hoped this would alleviate some of their concern, but Sofia just looked even more baffled.
"Well, that's…"
"I know. Everything's changed so fast... but let's go sit now. I'll explain everything that happened while you were gone."
...
Neia did her best to summarise the whole situation, and everything she's gone through since the start of the demi-human invasion. Surprisingly, her parents were silent for most of it, probably too shocked to really keep up.
"... and this is our wedding ring! Isn't it beautiful? It's also a magic item that protects me! Isn't it such a thoughtful gift? Ah, and about the wedding! It was so nice! And Shizu and everyone was there, and we talked a bit, but most of the time I just spent with darling. Back then, I really wished that you were there, but you're here now! Ah, I don't really know about how difficult the resurrection was exactly, but I'm just so thankful! He truly is the kindest of all..."
She stopped and looked to her parents, whose expression still indicated she wasn't really getting through to them.
"So? Doesn't he sound wonderful? I just love him so much..."
Right now, she was really doing her best to make them see that he is completely unlike what her parents might imagine when they thought of the undead.
They were supposed to just be talking and reuniting now, but she needed to get them to understand as soon as possible.
She thought about how her darling immediately introduced himself as her mother's new son-in-law, just more evidence that he really cared about family, just like Pandora's Actor, and that he will likely be very depressed if they reject him.
This is why she absolutely had to make them see that the old faith was wrong about the undead. They would both meet him properly soon, and she needed that to go well, for his sake.
Her father was the first to speak after the uncomfortable silence.
"Yes... your husband seems... hm."
It seemed he was still unsure, which made Neia worry.
"And all these undead that are now in the Holy Kingdom... are you sure there were no incidents yet?"
It seemed they did not really care to discuss her husband, instead having concerns about the state of their homeland.
That was fine, but what was this question supposed to mean? If there ever was such a thing, of course she would know, and darling would tell her! Not that it would ever happen in the first place, since they were under his control.
She thought about that question more.
Did her father mean to imply that His Majesty might keep things from her?
She felt her desperation setting in again.
Why did they still not understand, even after everything she's told them?
"Dad, come on! Are you trying to say darling would keep things from me? Please, he's my husband! I know this is all a lot, but the most important thing is that there is nothing to worry about. He is so nice and kind... you'll see for yourself soon!"
\\\
Pabel Baraja was afraid for his daughter.
The way she spoke now, the way she spoke in general, it was like she was making some sort of grand speech, even when talking to her own parents.
She was never really like that before...
It seems she's changed.
She was different now.
But that wasn't what concerned him.
It was the way she spoke about the undead she married.
She made him sound so perfect... Earlier, she once even called him "His Majesty" despite them being married.
Not only was Neia never very talkative before, she was now talking in that grand way about an undead creature.
This Sorcerer King was supposedly an immensely powerful magic caster, with all sorts of terrifying powers which Pabel had trouble believing truly existed.
He knew there existed mind-control magic. There was a spell like that in the 4th tier. It could temporarily trick someone into considering the caster a friend who they trust above their own judgement. Neia said that this undead could cast spells above the 6th tier, the absolute peak that humans can reach.
If this Sorcerer King could truly cast spells of the 7th tier... or if something like the 8th tier existed, surely he could do whatever he wanted with his poor daughter's mind.
Was that why she was like this now?
He was immensely afraid of what might've been done to her.
And this religion which worshipped him becoming dominant in the Holy Kingdom... could he mind-control vast populations? Pabel could find no other explanation for why such a religion would overtake the Holy Kingdom, a place built on the belief in the Four Great Gods.
… …
Neia was then asked all sorts of questions about her new life, and her parents both seemed more talkative the further away the conversation was from the matter of her husband.
She didn't know for how long they'd been talking, but she did eat a whole plate of sweet treats, which also helped her stress immensely. Though her parents refused to touch any of the food…
They seemed to be slowly adjusting to the situation that they, their daughter, and their homeland were in, and so she decided she should probably cut it short soon.
"Mom, dad, I think it's time we stop for now. We'll have all the time we need later, but darling is waiting to introduce himself properly. Let's not make him wait, okay?"
They both seemed uneasy again, but she probably couldn't do much about that now. It would be a longer process, same as many other people she converted during her career.
But hopefully it was enough for them to meet…
"I'll go talk to Lady Pestonya."
...
As her husband arrived, both her parents were very obviously on edge again.
Seeing this, she stepped very close to him, and spoke in a hushed tone.
"Darling, are you sure you don't want me to be here?"
"Don't worry about me, there's only a few things I want to say, and then you can join us."
"Okay... how about another kiss, for good luck?"
"Of course."
They did their kissing routine again, and then Neia started to be led off by Lady Pestonya.
She waved to her parents before closing the door after herself.
\\\
The three of them were alone now.
He did not lie to Neia. There were only a few things he wanted to say.
In that case, he should start and get it over with.
"Hello."
Both of them lowered their heads, their movements being stiff and wooden.
"Your Majesty..."
"Ah, Mr. Baraja... there is no need to call me that. I am your son-in-law, after all. My name is Ainz Ooal Gown, so Ainz will do. And please raise your heads."
"... well, our daughter called you 'Your Majesty' despite the two of you being married..."
There was something else in his tone when he said that. Suspicion? Contempt?
"Yes, I myself told her it was strange, but she's been calling me that even as we were dating, and has a bad habit of rarely doing it even now that we are husband and wife… Now, I don't know how much Neia may have told you about me. I assume it wasn't a lot, so I'm sure you still have some questions, right?"
The pair looked at each other for a moment, before Pabel was once again the one to speak. Her mother was a paladin, so she was probably a lot more wary of the undead than him, which explained her silence in Ainz's presence.
"We don't really want to bother you with questions. We can always ask our daughter."
"Hm. Very well."
He felt that this was somewhat of a lie, and that they simply did not trust him. This was fine. He felt no need to become friendly with them.
... No, was that attitude wrong?
Neia seemed very invested in making sure they see him the same way she does, so perhaps their relationship is important to her...
Ah, what a pain...
Still, that was probably going to have to be a long-term project, so for now he would simply say what he had to say for now.
"... Neia, she's... you've raised an excellent young woman. She's such a hard worker... she's honest, humble, kind, generous, thoughtful... you should be proud."
He truly meant it, although he couldn't be sure if his words reached them at all.
"Now, there was one main thing I wanted to say. It is regarding your resurrection."
They both seemed to get a bit more tense.
"You see, I could have done this earlier. I didn't because at the time, my relationship with your daughter was not yet very strong, and because of selfish political reasons... I am sorry."
He bowed his head.
The reasons he stated were not lies, those really were the things which made him not do this earlier. But they were not the reasons for his apology.
Though he was apologising to them, in his heart it was aimed at Neia.
He made her wait so long... she didn't deserve to lose them at all. He was now undoing his mistake, but it came far too late.
"Y-Your Majesty, please don't bow your head to us!"
Pabel's voice dragged his mind back to the present.
He raised his head and spoke again.
"Why wouldn't I bow my head to those I've wronged? It is only natural. The difference in status means nothing."
"N-no, we understand your reasons perfectly from what you've told us just now. Us being brought back at all is something we should be thankful for."
\\\
He wasn't sure if this was some sort of trick, but...
This undead seemed so honest and genuine.
He was apologetic and even bowed to them, those he's just brought back from the dead, despite the difference in status between them.
Is this what Neia was talking about?
"No, my apology just now was fully warranted. Though let us not argue about this. It would be unfortunate if our introductions involved an argument..."
He seemed to pause and think for just a moment.
"... I believe your daughter wants us to get along, so I will do my best to respect her wishes. I know you do not trust me... well, maybe you even hate me, but I hope we can get along one day, for her sake."
Pabel's mind was so preoccupied with the worst case scenario of his daughter being mind controlled that he did not explore the others too much.
But now, this Sorcerer King made an impression of being someone very understanding indeed, and he also sounded like he might genuinely care for Neia.
The way he praised her... if she isn't being mind controlled and she truly wanted them to get along of her own free will, his statement about respecting her wishes also seemed exactly like what one might expect of a good husband.
Wait, was Pabel being mind controlled to think these things right now? What a pain…
"If that's all, should we invite Neia back in? It's only been a few minutes, but I do not want to keep her waiting."
"Yes, let's."
Gown then put his fingers to his temple.
"Pestonya? We're ready."
\\\
She felt a bit better due to her conversation with Lady Pestonya, and now looked between both her husband and her parents.
"Uhm, how did it go? That was very brief..."
"Everything went well, Neia. Come, sit down."
She did as her darling said, and started holding his hand immediately.
This calmed her down a lot. She really hoped nothing bad happened...
"Well, Mr. and Mrs. Baraja, now that we are all here, is there something you wish to ask the both of us?"
Her parents looked at each other before her father was once again the one to respond.
"No need, Your Majesty."
Neia sighed internally. They still didn't trust the man she loved… And why would her mother not speak at all in his presence?
She studied Sofia's face for just a second. Was that a vague hint of disgust? Hopefully not...
"In that case, I will leave the rest to my dear wife."
She perked up and her cheeks went red. Did he ever call her that before?
He started getting up, still holding her hand.
"Come close, I will teleport you all to Neia's home."
...
And with that, they were at their destination.
Her parents started looking around curiously, while she quickly moved to kneel in front of him.
"Darling, I must once again thank you... this is the most incredible gift of all..."
"Neia, please don't kneel down to me. And do not thank me at all. Like I said before, I should have done this a year ago. Either way, I hope you will be able to spend the next few days reuniting with your parents without any major interruptions. Actually, won't Shizu be coming over soon? Perhaps I should ask her to delay her visit?"
"Not at all! I don't meet her that often, so I will gladly make time for her, and introduce her to them."
"I see, that's good. Well, do you want a goodbye hug, or anything like that?"
"Yes, the hug please."
And indeed, they hugged. It was a brief, yet amazing-feeling hug.
"Now then... Neia, Mr. Baraja, Mrs. Baraja, goodbye."
"Goodbye, love!"
Her mother and father simply lowered their heads.
And then, he was gone.
She sighed deeply.
She was of course extremely happy to have her parents back, but the way they were rude today...
Hopefully they'll adjust before the next time they meet him.
She turned to them with a smile.
"Mom, dad, let's get you your own room. I know this must have been a lot for you, so let's leave it be for today. A good dinner and a full night's sleep will do wonders! We have so much to talk about tomorrow!"
Her parents nodded, and so she opened the door to her bedroom. But instead of Amelia, she saw Emma.
"Your Holiness."
"E-Emma?"
"We've already heard from His Majesty, and everything is ready."
"You... he was here?"
"Yes, he came to deliver the information personally."
"Ah, that's so nice of him... alright, can you lead us to their room?"
...
"I'll go tell the cooks what you chose, and discuss other things with my head butler. This is your new home now, so please tell me if there's anything wrong! Goodbye for now!"
After his daughter left the room happy, Pabel Baraja looked around his new home some more.
It had several decorations proudly displaying that same crest, which he now knew was of the Sorcerer King.
He also saw that his wife was looking at him with a complicated expression.
"Pabel... this..."
"Yes, it's so hard to understand... I just don't know what to make of it..."
"Ugh, the way our daughter kissed that undead, the way they held hands, the way they hugged, the way they called each other 'darling' and such things..."
He completely agreed, but there was something else.
"But she seemed so happy just now..."
Sofia's expression changed, with disgust being the dominant emotion now.
"W-what if he did something to her? What if he toyed with her mind?"
Pabel himself was of course utterly terrified of that possibility.
"Yes... let's hope that's not the case..."
But what could they even do if it was?
Nothing. Nothing at all.
They couldn't do a thing. Only hope for the best.
...
Emma led them to the table, and as they sat down to eat, her parents immediately noticed the tiny amount of food on Neia's plate.
"Neia, is that really your portion?"
Her mother asked in a concerned tone.
"Ah, don't worry. Darling's magic made it so I do not need to eat. Besides, my stomach is already full from those sweets I ate when we were back there. This much is just so I'm not the only one not eating, as that would probably be a bit weird."
She said that with a smile, so they accepted it.
"Either way, I hear we have some very good cooks here! I hope the food will surpass your expectations!"
She could see that they weren't used to the idea of living like nobles, with their own cooks and maids in a massive mansion. Living like this was just one of many, many things which they now needed to adjust to now.
As she uneasily thought about how they will react to their undead guards, all three of them took their first bite.
"Ah, this is great!"
"Mmm... do you really eat food like this every day, Neia?"
Her parents were both enjoying their food, while she reached for a glass of water to force herself to swallow.
When her mouth was finally empty, she spoke.
"Like I said, I don't need to eat thanks to magic. But I'm glad you two are enjoying your food. I will be sure to forward your praises to the chef."
She then chuckled a bit before continuing.
"Isn't this great? You can live like nobility now! Neither of you will have to work for a single day again! You both did so much for me in raising me, but now I can be the one to provide for you, and give you such a great level of comfort! Isn't that amazing?"
The great pride she took in being a trusted servant of the Sorcerer King showed itself just a little bit, but she didn't mind.
She has failed many times along her journey, yes, but he still trusted her. Even if she was not the best servant she could be, she still achieved this much within such a short amount of time, and that made her very, very happy.
And that is why she was confused by the looks her parents were giving her.
They were... worried?
Shouldn't they be happy? Shouldn't they be proud of her?
It made her feel quite bad, and her father then spoke.
"Neia, don't you have a lot of duties?"
"Ah, yes. Of course… As High Priestess and representative of Ainz Ooal Gown's will, I have lots and lots of work to do, but don't worry about that at all! I'll always make time for you! I won't let my duties get in the way!"
"That's... not exactly what I meant..."
"Huh?"
"Well, regarding what you said... you said we won't have to work anymore?"
She was very confused as to what her father was getting at, but answered plainly.
"Y-yes, of course! I'll make sure both of you can live comfortable lives with no more hard work, no more risking your lives as soldiers ever again! You'll never have to lift a finger, and finally live lives of comfort!"
This made both her parents look even more uneasy, and she was at a complete loss as to why that could be.
"W-what's wrong? Dad?"
"Neia, us doing nothing while our daughter works hard every day... that's not right at all. We are your parents, we should be the ones to provide for you."
"That's right, Neia. Surely you understand that this isn't right..."
"N-no, I don't understand at all! You've worked so hard for many years to raise me, so now that I can, I should repay you several times over!"
Sofia and Pabel looked at each other nervously, and then her mother spoke in a tone that was almost pleading, but mostly just concerned.
"Neia, isn't there anything at all we can do? Seriously, we do not want to simply live off your hard work while we do nothing..."
She thought about this.
What could they do?
She would incorporate their resurrection into one of her new speeches as a great gift of love, but... that's not really them working, is it? Was there any way in which they could help her with her work as a preacher? She could not think of anything.
When it came to paperwork, they obviously could not handle the very important and often secret correspondence in regards to her involvement in governance or church matters.
So what could they do?
She decided to think about that at some point in the future. Although she didn't want them to work at all, she would help them find something if that's what they wished.
Something easy and safe. Something where they barely had to do anything at all.
"Let's talk about that later. You should still take several days, if not weeks to understand everything that's changed with the world, as I'm sure that must be very taxing. For now, let's eat before the food gets cold."
They only nodded stiffly.