Hello Scrolls and Followers of Justice, Mr.Bones bringing the end of Cz's arc in my fanfic The One Who Came Back.

Will CZ arrive in time to rescue Néia? A guest arrives.

With you

The One Who Came Back

Chapter 31: Return

"'Lord Demiurge, I have doubts.'"

"'About what, CZ2128?'"

"'Ainz-sama ordered to protect Neia at all costs. I think his plans involve her becoming the definitive voice of his religion and the future Holy Queen.'"

"'Lord Ainz said that? Hmmm, yes, I have considered such a line. So his plans are greater than I could foresee. What a fool I am, FOOL, FOOL, FOOL! The immediacy of a holy war does not surpass the development of a continental religion. Ah! Ainz-sama! Your intelligence surpasses anything I can imagine! Alright, CZ, stop the group. If necessary, I will return as Jaldabaoth in another form.'"

CZ had already jumped from the balcony the moment Demiurge gave his approval. The sword's blade was descending towards Neia's chest, while magical circles appeared over Remedios' body, and the other acolytes chanted spells.

The shots tore the sword from the priest's hand, killing him. CZ landed next to Neia and poured a vial of red potion over her, instantly waking her up.

"Wh-what happened?"

"Poisoned, worshippers of Jaldabaoth, resurrecting the demon, using Remedios' body, sacrificing you" - said CZ as she fired her gun. The acolytes closest to her were hit and then burst into flames - "Strange, that shouldn't be happening."

Remedios' body began to float and glow.

"The body CZ, destroy the body, we can't allow them to bring that monster back."

CZ shot at it, trying to destroy it, but it was protected by some kind of anti-projectile magic.

Neia had already recovered enough to know what to do. Her bow, even without arrows, was an epic-level blunt weapon.

Jumping off the sacrificial table, she struck Remedios' body with such force that it split from top to bottom, causing the magic to explode, and everything began to collapse.

"The s-sword, we have to g-get the sword" - Neia said, still dazed after hitting the wall from the impact.

Then Cz shot one of the acolytes as he grabbed the sword and teleported away.

The others simply stood futile, casting spells and trying to prevent their escape, exploding in flames when hit by rocks or touched by the Shadow Demons.

"Neia Baraja, we need to go. Ecleir, come with me" - said Cz as she grabbed the penguin, clearing a path with her machine gun while carrying Neia.

They exited the Cathedral seconds before it collapsed. Neia was waking up as they left, and the day was dawning.

"Thank you, CZ. You saved my life."

"Yes, I did. Neia is my friend."

"No, I'm not just a friend, Cz. You are more than a friend. You are my sister."

"I have another sister? I'm very happy, Neia Baraja. You're my little sister" - said Cz, sticking a sticker on Neia's forehead.

"Let's go, CZ. Let's go to the palace."

They arrived there and found the Followers of Justice reinforcing the guard. Soon, they were able to speak with King Caspond and Gustav. The way everything unfolded seemed like The Night of Jaldabaoth, as it would be known years later, had come to an end.

They returned to the church, finding only ashes. All the efforts, provisions, and resources of the past months had been destroyed to cover up their abduction.

The day passed, and emergency tents were set up. The crown sent supplies that Neia almost refused, and the following day, a bit more food arrived, improving the general mood.

"MY FRIENDS!" - Neia exclaimed - "I ask for a moment of your attention. In the past few days, we have faced unimaginable trials. This seems to be the worst situation we have been in since Jaldabaoth's arrival, but we persevered. We prevented his return and defeated an invisible enemy. Even if we don't have much in our possessions, we have much in our hearts. Today marks the anniversary of Jaldabaoth's defeat a year ago, and once again, we have vanquished him in just a few days. So let's celebrate twice as much and show our strength, BECAUSE STRENGTH IS JUSTICE! AND JUSTICE IS THE SORCEROUS KING!"

"I think they're talking about me" - a voice came from behind Neia, making her turn around in alarm.

"YOUR MAJESTY!" - Neia exclaimed, throwing herself at his feet.

"Rise, Neia. It's good to see you again."

"Your Majesty, what... how did you..."

"I informed Ainz-sama of the date, Miss Baraja."

"Lord Eclair! You didn't have to, Your Majesty is a busy man."

"Not too busy to come and visit his most loyal servant on her most important day." - Neia, with a reddish complexion, was almost fainting with joy, then she remembered.

"I apologize, Your Majesty..."

"I've told you before, you can call me Ainz."

"Right, Ainz-sama, I'm sorry I don't have much to offer you..."

"Stop!" Ainz said, silencing Neia.

"I know very well what you and the Followers of Justice have been through, and it was my fault for not providing better for you. So, I apologize" - he said, bowing his head. The people were almost going crazy at the sight of such a scene. The grandeur, strength, and humility that emanated from their God.

"P-please, Ainz-sama, lift your head, please."

"Only if you accept an apology gift."

"Gifts? There's no need..."

"I insist. I will bring food for the feast and for a few more months. Furthermore, it seems you need a place to live."

"A house? I can't accept a house, Ainz-sama."

"Who said anything about a house? A 'GRAND FORTRESS.'"

Magical circles began to appear from the middle of the grounds where the destroyed church was located. From the ground, a huge tower emerged, quickly occupying the entire area and then expanding to bring down the surrounding buildings. With nearly forty floors, it was black and imposing.

"Y-your Majesty."

"Don't worry, Neia. Those buildings were mine, and those over there, and those. I think the whole neighborhood is mine now. After all, I bought them from the crown. I will revitalize the neighborhood."

"B-but why, Your... Ainz-sama?"

"Because I can't leave my followers without a proper facility. This way, everyone will have suitable places to live and work. I'm sure this will become a new hub of activity in the city. Look, right over there will be the post office. I hope you enjoy riding dragons."

"Dragons, what dragons?!"

"Frost Dragons, provide courier and transportation services, but sometimes they can carry people too. You will need them. There are three smaller towers in the Arzelisia mountain range that need to be used." - When Ainz realized that the fortresses summoned, like the undead summoned, did not disappear over time, he was unsure of what to do with the ones he created on his first journey to the Dwarf Kingdom.

"I think they will make great outposts for travelers. Who better than the... hmm, Followers of Justice to use them in my name?"

"Thank you very much, Ainz-sama" - Neia said through her tears - "Such places will be points of pilgrimage and worship for you."

"'That's not exactly what I intended, but it's even better!" he thought.' - "Well, I'm glad you liked it. Shall we take a look inside?"

"Yes, Ainz-sama." - Neia pulled the handle, but the door showed no sign of moving. -

"Hmm, I can't open it. I'm sorry, Ainz-sama, but the doors won't open."

"Oh! Don't worry, only I can open them from the outside."

"But then how are we going to do it, Ainz-sama?"

"Well, just leave them open all the time."

"The doors of Your Majesty's temples will never be closed." - Neia said, almost crying, bringing the crowd to tears. - "That's beautiful. It will be one of the mottos of your church, Ainz-sama."

"Yes, that's exactly what I meant. So, shall we go? The Followers can come afterward."

"Yes, Ainz-sama, but I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you that we no longer call ourselves Followers of Justice... WE ARE still the Followers of Justice, but a few months ago, people started calling us something different, and it seems to have caught on."

"Hmm, what do you call yourselves now?"

"Well, it seems the name comes from an ancient language, I'm not familiar with. It means something like 'Dedicated to God.' Today, we call ourselves... Nazarins."

CZ's mind calculated in milliseconds, accessing information from her files and making correlations.

Nazarins - Natzráth - Nazareth - Nazarick - then her mind made the sound of a blue screen.

PAM!

...

In the following weeks, the searches continued, mostly handled by Bertrand, who filtered the information gathered by the Nazarins. However, the only new information was that it was the Traveler months before who had started with the new official name for the Followers, "coincidence?" Ainz didn't think so.

The Great Fortress became the center of the new religion, and as Neia had predicted, the arrival of new believers increased. Soon, it could no longer accommodate the thousands who came for the worship services in its enormous hall. The other towers in the Arzelisias Mountains were treated as pilgrimage sites and resting places for travelers.

The Nazarins occupied and transformed the upper floors into offices, administrative centers, lodgings, and everything necessary to accommodate a small army. Neia's workspace was on the top floors, just below her apartment, from which she had access to the rooftop where she could borrow a Frost Dragon if necessary, a pleasure she allowed herself more and more frequently.

Outside, she trained her new personal guard: a child who had previously used a wooden knife but was an exceptional Rogue, a rugged man wearing heavy metal gloves who fought like a Monk, a young woman in provocative dancer attire with Bardic abilities, and the Archer who wielded a massive crossbow. Today, they all used much better weapons and equipment provided by their instructor, Cz2128 Delta, who had figured out how to spend her money.

'System check, Primary directives:'

'1st Directive: Protect and obey Ainz Ooal Gown, and I must not, through action or omission, allow Ainz Ooal Gown to come to harm.'

'2nd Directive: Protect the Great Tomb of Nazarick, except in cases where it conflicts with the First Directive.'

'3rd Directive: Protect my own existence, as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Directive'

'Evaluation of directives based on Ainz Ooal Gown's guidance and following recent events.'

'Neia Baraja, the younger sister, has become a key player in the plans for the Holy Kingdom and follows the designs of Ainz Ooal Gown. If Neia Baraja is eliminated, Ainz Ooal Gown will suffer a loss. If Ainz Ooal Gown suffers a loss, it will be a great harm. Logical conclusion:'

'4th Directive: Protect Neia, and I must not, through action or omission, allow Neia Baraja to come to harm... as long as it does not conflict with the first two directives.'

'System check complete.'

"The break is over! Fifty laps around the tower" - CZ said.

"YES, INSTRUCTOR!" - they all responded simultaneously.

"Neia will be safe."