Suzuki Satoru woke up to the smell of vanilla shampoo and the warmth of a loving embrace. With an especially long yawn that felt like it sent his very soul quaking, the king stretched his legs in a stealthy manner so as to not disturb his wife. Following several minutes spent silently and unmovingly regaining lucidity of mind and strength of body, Satoru surveyed the room lazily, estimating what time it might've been based on the amount of natural light. Next, the former salaryman's thoughts were drawn to his present situation, to the way his beloved held him close from behind while they both faced the same direction, her breasts pushing against his shoulder blades, her breath warming the back of his neck... Satoru would love to cuddle Neia in the same way, but the latter's wings sadly made that rather uncomfortable for both of them, at least when the two laid on the bed, where there was no room to spread them apart...
The undead king decided to free himself, relocating Neia's arm and leg as delicately as possible. In the process, Satoru was reminded of the difference in physique between them. While Neia was rather toned due to her past as a soldier and the physically demanding hobbies she's maintained since, Satoru's human form seemingly could not be changed at all, remaining stuck as identical to the one he possessed in his own world. Suzuki Satoru was quite thin indeed, often skipping meals to save money wherever he could. Not that someone of his standing could afford food of especially high quality or quantity in the first place.
And then there was the shade of his skin. Back on that sad, lonely place called Earth, direct sunlight was a once-in-a-lifetime occurrence, as the sun was almost always blocked by layer upon layer of toxic clouds and space debris. Eventually, the average shade of skin worldwide became far lighter, and the popularity of artificial sunbathing rose. Neia had once jokingly commented that the human Satoru was barely any less thin or pale than the skeleton Satoru. The king panicked slightly upon hearing this, but quickly realised that coming from his wife, being compared to a skeleton was nothing bad. Though once he thought about it a little more, this realisation made Satoru feel even stranger than that initial comparison.
... ...
"... Wha's this?"
"That's cheesecake, sweetie."
"Wow..."
Little Ayame was now that age where she always asked all sorts of questions about her surroundings. What things were, how they worked, where they came from... With pride that she had such a curious daughter, Neia Baraja turned back to Satoru - who was also smiling with pride, resuming the conversation from earlier.
"You were talking about that nation in the east, darling?"
"Oh, yes. One of my ministers is observing that area, and brought my attention to a large country that's steadily expanding in our direction through conquest. From what we know of its history, it is relatively new, and was founded when its current emperor united his species, the catfolk."
Neia nodded along while chewing some liquorice.
"Well, we hope to observe them for a bit more time, and then take preliminary diplomatic action. Hopefully there will be no need for bloodshed, though that emperor seems to favour it."
"What kind of place is it, anyway?"
"Very culturally diverse, apparently, since the conquest doesn't seem to actually involve too many indiscriminate massacres, and genuinely integrating defeated territories seems to be the country's priority."
"Ah, that's good... Well, a lot better than wholesale exterminations, at least. War is always so sad... I always believed death needs to be a last resort."
"Yeah..."
Satoru adopted an uncomfortable expression and broke eye contact. It seemed like... shame? Guilt?
The High Priestess didn't really understand why. Her husband was the last person to allow cruelty of any kind, after all.
Was it about… Re-Estize? Neia furrowed her brows.
That country was a place that violently stole supplies meant for Roble, and its leadership of corrupt nobles refused to hand over the man responsible. A place riddled with the worst of criminals who faced no consequences due to bribes to those very nobles. A place that only did away with slavery within Neia's lifetime. And even then, organised crime took over those institutions before long, allowing countless people, like Tuare, to suffer horribly. Satoru allowed much of the country's peasantry to escape, anyway.
The angel reached out to her husband, placing a hand on his shoulder and a kiss on his cheek. There was no need to dwell on past so distant.
"Darling?"
"Ah, sorry, I just..."
As the king's eyes were moving back up to meet Neia's, they stopped on something else, and Satoru's expression transformed into one of profound confusion. The Prophetess turned around to look in the direction of the cause, only to find the little princess crushing and stabbing her cheesecake into fine pieces with a fork.
"Sweetie?... What are you doing?"
Ayame looked at her mother with an expression of dejection and defeat.
"I can't find the cheese..."
Neia nodded sombrely and responded with a matching tone.
"Yes, I was also similarly confused the first time I tried a cheesecake."
... ...
The head maid watched Amelia absentmindedly shovel more dried cranberries into her mouth, eyes not budging from the pages of the thick book. In response to seeing the young woman bring her reading to the dining table yet again, Emma could not help but stare on with mild disappointment, wondering if she should have been even more strict during Amelia's childhood. Just who did she take after? Certainly not Emma or Claire.
"... Whoa, do you know what a gundi is?"
The head maid resisted sighing before responding.
"A what? Gun-di? Is that food?"
"No, it's some kind of rat, I think. Look!"
The red-haired maid lifted her book and spread it open in Emma's direction, presenting the latter with an illustration of some sort of obese rodent with peculiar ears.
"... No, never seen that thing. Are you sure they don't eat those somewhere?"
"Maybe? Apparently they're sometimes family pets in some parts of Baharuth and further east."
Amelia promptly went back to reading, seemingly oblivious to Emma's disapproval. The head maid sighed quietly.
"Hello, is this spot taken?"
The pair aimed their gazes in the inquiry's direction, where an informally-dressed paladin stood, holding her usual breakfast of eggs and beef sausage. Her bafolk husband was nowhere to be seen, at least for now.
"Greetings, Mrs. Blackheart. Feel free to sit."
"Thank you, Miss Valeria."
The Paladin continued in a casual manner after seating herself.
"How are you two? Everything alright?"
"Quite so... Well, excluding someone's baffling disregard of all reasonable etiquette."
"Hm. Were you talking about anything in particular?"
"Not really, no. Did you have anything specific to say?"
"Just thought that maybe I could join in."
"Of course. Feel free."
The three of them shared a few bites of food in silence before Emma spoke again.
"Is it your day off, Mrs. Blackheart?"
"Correct."
"Were you at the procession yesterday?"
"I was. Would you like to hear about it?"
The head maid nodded as she responded.
"If it isn't a bother?"
"Not at all... Though... Say, have you heard what happened to Madam Montagnés' cousin?"
Emma sifted through her memory for a moment. Lishka Montagnés had a female cousin who was... a shoemaker, or cobbler, or something akin to that? By the name of Nina… Blanche? Blanco? What could have happened to her?
"I have not. I hope it is nothing bad?"
Linda hesitated momentarily before responding in a hushed, solemn tone.
"Apparently she was taken to that new asylum here in Hoburns. She was found unconscious in her own home, malnourished and with what might've been self-inflicted wounds."
The three maintained a sombre silence for several moments. Of course, this kind of thing was not at all unheard of following Jaldabaoth's attack. A subset of people permanently lost much of their appetite due to the awful and revolting things they had witnessed or been victims of. And all sorts of people formed all sorts of methods to ease their pain, methods that were often self-destructive. Whether that be losing themselves in alcohol, opium, gambling, or even something esoteric… Fortunately, the divine truths of the gospel mended the mangled hearts of countless. Roble's people were lucky that His Majesty was graciously willing to share his boundless wisdom, and that someone as incredible as Neia worked so tirelessly to preach it.
Emma cleared her throat before speaking.
"That's absolutely tragic. I will pray for her full and speedy recovery."
"M-me too!"
Linda smiled bitterly in response to Amelia's exclamation.
"Yes, I already have been. Well, if it's in that asylum, she's got the best shot possible at recovery, right?"
Emma nodded. As the gospel said, the health of the mind is as important as the health of the body, and human nations had a long way to go in their understanding of how to take appropriate care of the former. As expected of the greatest monarch of all, His Majesty was willing to guide his people when it came to this matter. In his own words, he had seen many great allies fall prey to melancholy, often caused by stress and overwork.
The three remained still for a moment longer before eating again. After everyone took a few bites, Linda spoke, tone infused with some amount of guilt.
"I hope I have not soured your mood."
"Not mine."
"Oh, it's fine!"
While Emma's tone was matter-of-fact, Amelia's was reassuring.
"In that case, may I ask what either of you will be up to today?"
The red-haired maid responded immediately.
"Uhm, I think I'll be cleaning some windows, and then doing some dishes, and then I'll have a few loads of laundry...?"
The girl looked to her superior, likely unsure of her own schedule for today. Emma neither spoke nor gestured. Amelia understood what this meant, and continued to speak.
"Yeah. And then I'll probably read more of this book! It's got descriptions and even illustrations of all sorts of interesting creatures from further east!"
"I see. Well, me and my husband will probably take a walk around the city centre, and probably treat ourselves to some foreign cuisine. Maybe something northern. Then perhaps a visit to a church for spiritual reasons. We'll mostly be deciding in the moment."
"Oh, that sounds really nice! I hope you enjoy yourselves!"
"Thank you. And I hope that book of yours entertains."
The two then looked at Emma, who chose to say nothing.
"Miss Valeria? What about you?"
"I'll attend to my duties and not much else."
"I see. Good luck, then."
The head maid was very much looking forward to babysitting Ayame today.
...
"... Mommy, where does glass come from?"
"Glass is made by cooking sand, sweetie."
"Whoa… Is glass food?"
"Glass is not food, dear. Don't eat it."
Ayame stared at the half-empty glass of water with great admiration as she sat on the sofa with her toys, meanwhile Neia continued buttoning up Satoru's coat.
"Aaand... Done!"
Taking a step back, the priestess looked her husband up and down before laughing to herself in delight. She was so lucky to be his.
"Everything looks good!"
The man who stole her heart smiled back before closing the distance and placing a single kiss on her cheek.
"Thank you, love. Say, can smells be mismatched with clothes? Is that possible?"
"Huh? Well... I'm not sure."
"I mean, I'm using a blueberry scent, and this coat is black, which seems to make sense. Similarly, would a peach scent go better with something peach-coloured?"
"Oh, I never really thought about that... Maybe? I suppose we could experiment!"
"Hm. Hm."
Satoru looked up for a moment while nodding, a habit of his whenever he made a mental note of something. Not long after, the sound of a knock could be heard.
"Your Holiness?"
"Ah, perfect timing! Just wait a bit, Emma!"
The couple made their way over to their daughter, who understood what was going on, having gotten up and adopted a rather downcast expression and stance. Both parents kneeled down in order to be eye-level with Ayame.
"It's time for us to go, sweetie. Emma will take care of you until the evening, okay?"
"... I'll miss you."
"I know. I'm sorry. But we'll be back."
Satoru moved closer, and put a hand on the little girl's shoulder.
"Hey, Ayame. Mommy and daddy love you a ton. We can still play when we get back. Does that sound good?"
Following a rather long pause, Ayame nodded, and so Satoru kissed her forehead. With a gentle smile, Neia stood back up and offered a hand.
"Okay, should we say goodbye?"
The little angel nodded hesitantly before accepting. After slowly leading her daughter to the door, Neia stopped, and waited for Satoru to give his goodbye. It would be done now, while
Satoru was in his human form, for Ayame's sake. The king spoke in a warm voice.
"Goodbye, Ayame. I hope you have fun."
"Goodbye, daddy."
The father and daughter waved to each other for a moment, after which the former disappeared into thin air. Neia opened the door to her bedroom, where the head maid was waiting.
"Hey, Emma."
"Your Holiness."
After the women exchanged a greeting, the Prophetess knelt down to eye level with her daughter again, and the two hugged tightly.
"Be good, sweetie."
After the two parted and Neia stood back up, Ayame turned around and rushed over to Emma with haste, hugging the maid's leg. The High Priestess felt a surge of happiness as her friend's solemnity melted away and gave way to a blissful expression, something that does not commonly grace Emma's visage.
"Goodbye!"
"Goodbye, mommy!"
After waving back for a moment, Neia slowly closed the door and turned to face the room, where the undead God had already made himself visible again.
... ...
Alvaro Cano sat behind his office's large desk, carefully reading the past month's report on current workload, estimated completion schedule of projects, the preliminary evaluations... It all needed to be considered against what sort of output the upper leadership expected of this branch. As the personnel manager of Hoburns' Purity Inspection office, Alvaro needed to ensure that all the Inspectors worked as close to maximum capacity as possible, but were never actually overworked in either the short-term or long-term. Currently, he needed to work especially hard in order to make a few final preparations for the arrival of a new team member. Someone who should be here today.
\\\
Nemu Emmot looked into the pocket mirror one more time before closing it, ensuring she looked as presentable as possible. Nervousness constricted the young woman's chest and coated select areas of her skin with a superficial layer of sweat. Exhaling deeply, Nemu told herself that it couldn't possibly go that wrong as long as she employed common sense.
'Alright... Here I go!'
...
A knock dispelled the silence of Alvaro's office, demanding his focus and cutting short his present line of thought. The man straightened his back, chastised himself for his poor posture, and cleared his throat before speaking in a dignified manner, one befitting the position he took so much pride in.
"Come on in!"
The door opened to reveal a young, red-haired lady wearing the female variant of the uniform standard for all lower-level clergy, a simple black dress and high socks with white accents in the form of holy symbols.
"Hello! Are you mister Cano?"
"Yes, greetings. What do you need?"
"Ah, I'm supposed to be working here from now on! I have the recommendation letter right here... Oh, right! My name is Nemu Emmot!"
Alvaro raised an eyebrow. How come the newcomer already has her uniform? Did she transfer from somewhere else, or from another discipline? He could've sworn that during their conversation, Madam Atolia mentioned that it was someone new to this line of work, but she didn't really elaborate on much of anything. Well, the recommendation letter is what's supposed to explain that kind of thing, anyway. Though the person to receive it would not normally be a personnel manager…
No matter. It was time to focus.
"I see. Please, come on in, then."
The young woman seemed a bit nervous when closing the door and making her way over. Alvaro reassured her within his own mind and adopted an especially friendly smile.
'Don't worry, I don't bite...'
Madam Emmot was still unfortunately rather nervous handing over the envelope, which Alvaro immediately began to look over.
"Let's see, what do we have... here..."
Alvaro's words trailed off as his mind got stuck, as if it had just walked into a solid brick wall. The personnel manager stared at the wax seal, attempting to discern its meaning. At first glance, it appeared to be Her Holiness' personal seal. This initial impression did not change on the second glance, which has by now turned into several full seconds of uninterrupted staring. Realising how foolish he must have appeared, Alvaro faked clearing his throat and hastily opened the letter.
\\\
The man's expression changed several times while reading Her Holiness' letter, which did not help with Nemu's anxiety at all. Was there something strange in there? The silence was getting rather uncomfortable. After what felt like far too long to read a single letter, mister Cano finally looked back up at her, though his bewildered and somewhat frantic look was rather startling.
"Ah- uhm- Yes! I see! Of course!"
Cano got up forcefully and quickly extended his hand towards Nemu.
"We're all delighted to have you here! A-and thankful! I'm uhm, I'm very sorry to say I haven't received any details ahead of time, which is why there hasn't been a proper welcome. You have my deepest apologies, and I will take full responsibility! R-regardless, I'm sure the Hoburns branch will do great under your guidance!"
'... What? Her guidance?'
Nemu's mind and body both remained perfectly still for an amount of time that was rather difficult to determine. Once regaining enough composure to think and speak clearly, the confused young woman said the first things that came to her mind.
"H-huh?! N-no, there must be some misunderstanding!... Just... W-what exactly did the letter say?"
"A misunderstanding? The letter from Her Holiness spoke of how you were mentored by her personally, and that she wishes for me to give you a position best fitting your skills!"
The odd noise that escaped Nemu's lips was a surprise even to herself, though it seemed to express her current state of mind perfectly.
"Hhhaaa?! M-mister Cano, I think you came to some wrong conclusions! I've only been studying under Her Holiness for a few years, and am in no way fit to be in charge of anything! I... I expected an entry-level position at most!"
"B-but... studying under Her Holiness... How could you not be more qualified than everyone here?"
Nemu sighed. It seems Her Holiness expected her apprentice to have some sort of conversation with the person in charge here to find something fitting her preference in order to give the young woman a degree of freedom. The Prophetess likely did not state this plainly because she did not anticipate that being a pupil of hers would automatically be assumed to be a master and authority in their area of expertise. Nemu sighed in defeat before speaking in a dismal tone. It now fell on her to smooth this over.
"I apologise for the confusion... I really am not an expert at all. I was supposed to continue learning here, if anything… I may have been mentored by Her Holiness, but I am not especially talented, or anyone important."
The young woman wondered if it would be rude to ask Her Holiness to be more specific in her wording next time.
... ... …
The catfolk gazed idly into his pocket mirror, once again finding it difficult to recognise the face staring back. The object made a familiar, somewhat satisfying sound as Alaart closed it, his eyes wandering lazily to the office's window, pupils constricting in reaction to the setting sun's orange hued radiance. When was Krissha supposed to be back from the ziggurat?
Well, it didn't matter. Alaart was supposed to be working, not wallowing in melancholy. Resting the pocket mirror on one of the many untidy piles of documents and books atop the desk, Alaart held his ears back. Were these piles really this large just a moment ago? Just how slow was his progress? What a pain. With a hiss of annoyance, the catfolk reached for whatever currently seemed like it would be the least boring, a letter with an unfamiliar seal.
The paper appeared to be of excellent quality, even for something expected to reach a monarch's desk. Now more intrigued than fatigued, Alaart broke the seal and began reading. The emperor's sense of intrigue only grew as he read on.
... This letter was from that "Ainz Ooal Gown".
And its contents were oh so fascinating.
The Sorcerer Kingdom seemed to be playing the long game. And a very risky one. Alaart felt genuine excitement, wondering just how robust and extensive that nation's network of informants must be, just how bold their strategists are to have proposed such a thing.
But before he would respond, the catfolk wished to gather more information. Personally.
'Alright then. Let's see whether you're myth or man, Ainz Ooal Gown...'
... ... ...
Update on things, rambling:
Hello. It's me, the Lucy.
"Where were you? Are you back? Will future chapters start releasing quickly again?"
Yes, I know this chapter took two and a half months, I'm sorry about that. I was quite ill for a while (I'm okay now), and then my PC needed repairs. And then my PC needed even more repairs... Also around the start of the year, I've pretty much moved to Prague, so I've been dealing with that and also adjusting to my new life here. Also also, I've been going back and forth on a lot of my long-term plans for this story.
So since I have my PC back and am not sick, does this mean that updates will speed up again? Yes, probably, BUT the slowly decreasing amount of reviews/comments on every new chapter has been affecting my motivation for a very long time now, as I've mentioned several times before. It's not ideal for my motivation to be working hard on something all the time and then not really know whether or not most people still even like it, so who knows. It feels like declining popularity is a sign that I should really begin properly wrapping this fanfic up.
The next chapter will be a short sort of teaser/prelude, and probably come out sooner rather than later.
Either way, I really hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please don't forget to tell me what you think of it! Any feedback is much appreciated!