"... a statue of my own?"
Neia looked at Bertrand with unease.
"Yes. It would be placed next to the large one of your husband here in Hoburns. It seems only fitting the pair of you would be side by side."
"N-next to his? Even if it was really small, and it had me doing something like kneeling to him, isn't that a bit too much? I want to increase my fame, not disrespect my darling!"
Building monuments dedicated to two different people right next to each other indicated their glory was somehow shared, or maybe even that they were equals, depending on the statues' size, pose, and other such things... But such a thing was not appropriate at all when it came to her and Ainz.
With a long sigh, she prepared to scold Bertrand for his frankly rude suggestions.
... ... ...
Ainz was laying on the bed in his room, reading the various books and excerpts which the librarians had previously prepared for him.
He still felt he had no idea how romance really worked, or what couples should do together, so he had them gather romance-focused literature.
And after everything he's read so far, he had a few ideas for new fun dates, though he also kept running into things which could not be done in this world, such as going to see a movie together in a cinema, which seemed quite romantic from the descriptions. Suzuki Satoru never had the chance to visit one, as it was mostly reserved for the elite, and the working people would just watch movies at home.
Maybe they could see a theatre play?
Just then, he heard a knock.
"Husband?"
It was Albedo.
He sighed deeply.
"... One moment."
As he put everything away back into his inventory, he thought about what his strategy would be for today.
Due to the experience he had with Neia from their initial dates, he felt he could lead Albedo on without too much trouble, even if she was extremely pushy compared to Neia...
He also recently started using the excuse that "few words were needed between two lovers who understood each other" to shut down conversations.
As he got up, he braced himself for another very uncomfortable date.
... ... ...
A somewhat exhausted Neia was looking out the window of her bedroom.
It seemed spring had now fully arrived, which made her want to go out to the wilderness for something like a picnic. It could make for a pleasant way to spend her time with her parents, and maybe Ainz as well?
"... Neia?"
She turned around, and found out her husband had just arrived. She must have lost track of time looking outside.
"Darling!"
Her wings were flapping around as she ran to hug him.
"Hello, Neia. I hope you're well?"
"Yes, very much so."
"That's good... let's sit down, hm?"
"Can I be in your lap?"
"Of course."
After sitting down, they started holding hands, and Ainz stroked her hair slowly.
"... So, I hope your return to work has been going well so far?"
She sighed.
"Well, there's been some more trouble with making me a symbol of our faith..."
"Trouble?"
"Well... some of my advisors have been making some very rude suggestions, and so I've had to scold them time and time again."
"Rude suggestions? What sorts of suggestions?"
She hesitated for a brief moment, knowing that her words could lead to nasty consequences for those who she would mention. Still, her darling had asked, and so she was happy to answer truthfully.
"... Suggestions such as building statues and monuments to myself right next to yours. Like next to the statues of you here in Hoburns, for example."
He put his hand to his chin.
"... You said that was meant to be rude?"
"Uhm... y-yes."
"... Well, I think that sounds like a good idea."
"W-wait, what do you mean, darling?!"
"It seems only appropriate that you'd have statues next to mine, since you're my wife, no?"
"B-but... I'm just... wouldn't that send the wrong message? We're not equals at all!"
"I'm not sure what you mean. You're my wife, aren't you? Why shouldn't monuments to us be close together, as we are?"
"W-well... I suppose that... uhm..."
"Look, I'll handle the construction. You have enough to worry about with your own work, okay?"
Thinking that it would probably be fine if she was just given some small statue kneeling next to his, she reluctantly spoke.
"... Okay."
"But nevermind that. I hope there hasn't been any other trouble?"
"N-no, not really. Just feels strange to be the object of people's admiration…"
"Don't worry. It's also quite strange to me sometimes…"
"W-what? R-really? It's strange to you?"
"Of course. I don't really think of myself as a natural-born leader, honestly."
"Ah, you're being too humble, darling."
... ... ...
Though it was no longer winter, the mornings were still quite cold and dark.
And on one particularly dark morning, a bafolk stood a bit further back from his destination, his anxiety making it hard to think properly.
He should probably remove his mask now, right? Honesty was probably really important in this situation...
After removing it from his face and putting it in his bag, he forced himself to walk forward.
As he was nearing the large iron gate, two of the paladins stationed there walked a bit further away from it to meet him, which made him thankful, as this meant he wouldn't have to talk to them right next to those undead guards.
"Demi-human. What's your business here?"
"My name is Adren. I am a warrior and third-tier holy caster. I came here because I wish to become a paladin and serve Her Holiness Neia Baraja."
While he was not confident at all with judging human expressions, it was completely impossible now, due to their helmets.
The two paladins looked at each other, and then back at him for some time, before one of them addressed the other.
"Hey, Fritz... if he wants to be a paladin... doesn't that usually have to go through Montagnés? But he wants to serve Her Holiness, so does that apply?"
"I dunno... wait, I'll ask him. Adren, was it? Do you have a permanent residence? Or just a place where we can always deliver letters to you?"
Staying in one place and waiting for letters wasn't possible for him, as he didn't have a job, and constantly needed to hunt in order to have food, which could have him stay outside the city for extended periods of time.
"... Unfortunately not."
"Ah, that complicates things... We'll have to ask Her Holiness. If she can't find time for you in her schedule at this time, we won't allow you to pester her by coming personally again, and you'll have to find a way to arrange for a meeting in a more official manner."
He bowed with his entire upper body. Respectful gestures like this was something he practised for most of yesterday, along with a polite and proper tone.
"Thank you."
As he was raising his head again, he heard footsteps coming closer from right behind him.
When those footsteps stopped, he turned around to see another male-looking human.
"And your business is…?"
"I am Desmond Custodio, and I wish to become a paladin in service of Her Holiness!"
...
Neia had just finished taking her bath, and felt quite good, despite having to wake up early to work.
And as she was nearing her bedroom to dry off and properly dress herself, she found that a paladin was already waiting for her outside the door.
He spoke with a bow as she got closer.
"Your Holiness. There are two men here to request a meeting with you, both wishing to become your paladins."
"They're here?... Can you tell me anything about them?"
People coming right to her home personally to request meetings was a rare occurrence, since letters would normally be sent to arrange for such things.
"One of them is a bafolk who claims to be a third-tier holy caster, and one of them is named Desmond Custodio."
Neia's eyes widened.
She didn't know which Custodio this was, but this could really be quite troublesome.
And as for the bafolk... well, it could be good propaganda to have a paladin in her service be a demi-human… maybe she should give both of them a chance, even if it was rather unexpected.
"Is it possible to arrange meetings with both of them for a later date?"
"Of course. Though it might be troublesome with the bafolk, since he's a vagabond."
"Ah, that's..."
She sighed.
"Alright, I guess the workload isn't that bad... I'll meet them both in an hour."
... ...
As Adren walked through the beautiful building, his anxiety only continued to rise.
Not only because he would soon be talking to Neia Baraja, but also because he felt improperly dressed for the occasion. He did his best to wash both himself and his clothes in the river last night, but it was obvious everything he wore was for the sake of survival, and not ceremony. This immediately differentiated him from the other aspiring paladin who was walking along next to him, as he was wearing something fancy looking.
After turning a corner, they were in a larger hallway, which had what seemed like some sort of waiting area, with simple chairs lining the walls.
"Wait here."
The male paladin who said that then went over to the only nearby door, and knocked.
When the door opened, another paladin peeked out, and they spoke in a hushed tone for a little bit, before they both turned back to them.
"Right… Mister Custodio?"
\\\
Neia inhaled deeply one more time to clear her mind of doubt.
Right as she did, the young man stepped into the room, and introduced himself with a deep bow.
"Your Holiness. It is a great honour to meet you! I am Desmond Custodio, nephew of Remedios Custodio."
A nephew? Did Kelart have children, or did Remedios have more siblings? Neia couldn't quite remember, as the "genius Custodio sisters" were the only two famous ones.
"... Raise your head."
When he did, she saw that his look was one of both admiration and determination.
"Alright, come sit down."
He was probably quite anxious, and her cold tone didn't seem to be helping. She only spoke again after he fully seated himself, which he did in a very stiff manner.
"So, you wanted to serve me as a paladin?"
"Yes!"
"... I see. Why is that?"
"W-well, I wish to live up to the honour of the Custodio name! Much like my aunt, I wish to serve my homeland, and my King! She has fought alongside Your Holiness before her unfortunate death, and so it seems only natural I would try to live up to the glory she earned for my family's name in much the same way, by now serving you!"
"Right..."
So he didn't know?
She sighed, and then spoke with a tired tone.
"Say, what do you know about my relationship with Remedios?"
"Uhm... y-your... W-well, I haven't really heard anything in particular..."
"Yeah... that makes sense, considering what you said earlier..."
It seemed he was now very confused, and very eager to know why she had adopted such a tone.
"I'll be upfront. I suppose it's just faded into rumours, but... me and her, we didn't get along. At all. In fact, she hated my guts, and I was happy to return the favour. She also rejected the glory of His Majesty, cursing him as an undead."
This seemed to completely stun the young man, who now simply sat there completely frozen with his eyes open wide. She decided she'd give him time to process.
When he finally looked like he recovered from the shock, he looked down as he spoke, and his tone was full of sadness and shame.
"I... that's… but that's impossible… She was a great hero who did so much to protect the country! How could that be? Surely she… surely… how could she reject His Majesty?"
"Look, it's really simple. She hated the undead. She did not believe my husband could possibly have good intentions, and so she hated him as well. Though she didn't really make that too public, as she wasn't completely stupid… well, she had Montagnés there… maybe he helped with that…"
"B-but… but surely she couldn't hate you, right? Surely this… surely…"
"No, shouting at me when I was just a squire was one of her favourite hobbies. It got worse when I became a follower of Ainz… things got physical once…"
"B-b-but… Y-Your Holiness… how could… how could this be? I just don't understand… my family name… everything, I… she was a hero… and… but…"
The young man looked like he was completely falling apart, so she decided to cut it short.
"I understand if this makes you reconsider a lot of things."
"I... I... well..."
"Is that all?"
"Y-yes..."
"Then you may leave."
Honestly, she was a little happy to see him gone. She's had enough of the Custodios…
...
Adren watched the human exit with an expression he hadn't quite seen before, although he didn't know what it meant. Hopefully the humans were as bad at reading his face as he was at reading theirs, or it might be obvious just how stressed out he was.
It took some more time before the door opened again.
"Her Holiness is ready to receive you."
He quickly got up despite his anxiety, and stiffly made his way over.
When he stepped through, he was awestruck by the great person waiting for him inside, just as when he first saw her.
\\\
Seeing a bafolk again had forced Neia to relive some very bad memories from the demi-human invasion, but she did her best to not let it show. She had to be a shining symbol of the Sorcerer Kingdom and its principles, and so she had to make sure she didn't have a reputation of being prejudiced.
The bafolk then bowed, but did not introduce himself.
"Raise your head, and come sit down."
"Yes."
When he did, she couldn't quite tell what he might've been thinking, as she couldn't read his expression at all.
"So, why don't you introduce yourself?"
"... I am Adren, son of Buser. I am a third tier holy caster, a warrior, and a hunter."
Her eyes widened, and she could see the paladins in the room tense up.
"You... you're the son of Grand King Buser? The one His Majesty killed in Loyts?"
"Yes. He had many children with many females."
She sat there silently for some time, trying to process that.
"So... how old are you? Did you have anyone to teach you holy magic?"
"I am 26 years old. I was taught most of what I know by my mother, but she died during Jaldabaoth's war, and I've had to teach myself since then."
Neia didn't really know if the bafolk aged differently, but to be a third tier caster at 26 was something very impressive for humans.
"My condolences about the loss of your mother."
"... Thank you, Your Holiness."
His tone just now was rather strange. It seems his brief pause just now was not because her statement had impacted him, but because he didn't know how to react to it.
"So, Adren... may I call you that, by the way?"
"Of course, Your Holiness."
"Then, Adren, I wish to ask why you want to serve me."
He paused, and then looked down. His expression was a bit different, or at least that's what she thought.
It took some time before he looked back up.
"... I was initially impressed by one of your speeches I witnessed. After that, I visited local churches to hear other speakers, and ask around. I found out that the Sorcerer Kingdom is a place which seeks to have all species live together peacefully, and that you have done a great deal of work in undoing the scars of our peoples' long-term strife. I also heard about both the Sorcerer King's and your own accomplishments... I felt that after I had lost my last loved ones, I had no purpose, but now I want to serve… serve such a great cause, and such a great person."
He now sounded very genuine, and she even found his story a little touching.
"That's... admirable. I am glad to hear that, but... do you not feel bitterness for the death of your family?"
"War is war, and what's done is done. What matters is that even after everything, Your Holiness and His Majesty have both shown the defeated mercy, and even kindness."
"... yeah... I must say I feel the same."
The room was then silent for a moment, and she considered what she should do with him.
"... I… will accept you into my service, provided you manage to officially join the paladin order, but without my help. After you do so, apply to become my servant through there."
In response, he bowed deeply, with his head almost touching the table.
"I thank you, Your Holiness."
She inhaled slowly.
"... Raise your head... There is one more thing that I thought we might need to discuss..."
\\\
"You might've heard that I was there when Buser died. Do you... do you want to hear my account of it?"
The question had made him pause and retreat deep into his thoughts. That was probably rude, and so he forced himself to answer quickly.
"Yes, please."
"... my husband had confronted him in a market square. Their talk was brief as he tried to convince him to surrender, with Buser of course refusing… In the end, he was killed with a single spell. I assume it was painless, but who knows. As for his last words, I don't quite remember, I must say... I was just glad to see him dead. I saw it as justice. Justice for my people."
Adren found that he felt very little, as he expected.
He bowed deeply again.
"Thank you, Your Holiness."
"... does this not change your stance towards me or him?"
"Not at all."
"... alright then... I suppose that's all..."
... ... ...
He sighed one last time before knocking.
It took some time for the door to open, and the man who did so was quite irritated, at least until he saw who it was that knocked.
"Laeryn! Come on in, hurry!"
As he did, the whole inn gathered around him. While they still used this as a meeting place, it was now only reserved for the most trusted and significant members, as their group had grown far too large to have everyone in a single establishment at once.
They also recently found that they were not the only group with similar ideas, not by a long shot.
"Laeryn! What do you know?"
"Laeryn?! Don't keep us waiting!"
"Don't just stand there, man! Come on, speak up!"
"All right, all right... quiet down."
Once everyone obeyed him, he breathed in slowly before speaking. He knew they wouldn't be pleased.
"... Her Majesty's stance on worship of herself is still not favourable, but it seems we're getting there. I tried to ask Bertrand, and he's already trying his best to convince her."
This had the men and women present completely puzzled.
"H-hey what the hell?! Are you serious?"
"For real?"
"Yeah, what the hell, man?"
"If she doesn't want to be seen as his equal, then why build all those statues!"
They hoped to be able to preach her glory openly by now. This hope had reached a massive high with yesterday's completion and unveiling of the massive statues depicting the two Gods standing together side by side, which were only the first of many to be built throughout the former Holy Kingdom.
"Look, I understand… But Her Majesty will declare herself the second God soon enough. It'll just take some more convincing is all. We're close, so just have some more patience. It probably also has to do with the fact that she is still only really popular in this part of the nation."
This made everyone's irritation die down a bit, and the room was now mostly quiet, except for some self-directed mumbling of dissatisfaction from a few particularly devout followers.
... ... ...
Neia was sitting in her carriage, feeling just a little anxious. They were about to reach the destination of the detour, which was so that she could see the newly finished statues for herself.
She didn't really know why she felt anxious, exactly. It was her husband who was overseeing their construction, so they would surely turn out well… maybe it was just the very idea of monuments to her existing?
Just then, she felt that they were slowing down.
With a small sigh, she put on her visor.
When the carriage had stopped and a paladin opened the door for her, she got up, and only took one step out before being frozen in place.
Looking past the crowd which had gathered around them, she saw that the statues were… well…
She addressed Laeryn, who stood bowing right in front of her.
"H-hey, isn't this all wrong?!"
This earned her some confused looks from everyone, including the few civilians who managed to overhear.
"... Your Holiness? What's wrong?"
"Th-the statues! Why are they like that?!"
He looked at them, and then back at her.
"I profusely apologise, but I do not know what the problem is."
"Why is mine as large as his?! And why am I standing next to him like that!"
It felt like this had to be some sort of mistake. Going by very basic principles of how this sort of imagery works, especially in a religious context, the two of them standing together as they did with equally large statues indicated that they were equal in status. Her husband must have surely understood that, which is why she couldn't comprehend why he would allow heresy like this to exist.
Her head bodyguard looked around to the other paladins, who only shared his confusion.
"I am sorry, Your Holiness. I do not know how to help."
"I... I s-suppose I need to talk to Ainz later... L-let's just go for now."
... ...
When they finally arrived at their true destination, she shook her head one more time to clear the shock from earlier.
As she stepped out, she saw that those who ran the place were kneeling just outside its door. There were also some people already present for the ceremony, even though it wouldn't start for quite some time.
She walked over in a manner which she practised to be as regal as possible.
"Rise, please."
"Your Holiness, I am Svetlana Mrazna, headmistress of the orphanage! We are honoured to welcome you here today!"
"Thank you. Shall we go inside?"
"Of course!"
...
"... and this is the dining hall. Would you like to wait here?"
Neia looked around some more, and once again, there was no sign of the children here, and it was still very quiet.
"... Miss Mrazna, where are all the children?"
"They are waiting in the dormitory for now, so as to not disturb you."
"Oh? That hardly seems proper. I hoped to meet all of them before the ceremony… Can you bring them to the main hall?"
"... Are you sure, Your Holiness?"
"Of course."
...
After spending some time waiting in the large hall where she was told the children spent most of their time, Neia realised that the headmistress was taking quite a while, and that the other caretakers looked worried.
She addressed one of them.
"Is something wrong?"
"I-I would assume Miss Mrazna is making doubly sure the children are all ready to meet you, being properly dressed, and that they do not act out in your presence."
Neia furrowed her brows, though none could see because of her visor.
"Really? Why would that be? They're just children. Surely perfect decorum cannot be expected of them, right? Would you please bring them in right now?"
"B-but what if one of them is somehow rude to Your Holiness? Surely that could not be forgiven! If you are to meet them, they must be lectured about how to act respectfully several times over!"
Neia sighed forcefully, making everyone tense up.
"Just bring them in. Like I said, I do not wish to impose too much on little children. That just seems cold-hearted."
"B-but-"
Not wanting to hear any more, she let some irritation show for the first time.
"I said to bring them in. Do you not understand? I'm starting to grow impatient with you."
This made all the caregivers freeze with expressions of horror, especially the one she was speaking to.
"Y-y-yes! R-right a-away, Your H-Holiness!"
After she ran off, an unpleasant air remained for some time as they stood there. Part of her wanted to dispel it, as she really did not enjoy making other people feel like that, but she felt it was appropriate here.
It only took a few more moments before many little footsteps could be heard.
The children were then made to stand in a semi-circle some distance from her, and then kneel.
"Ah, please rise! Come on!"
This whole time, it seemed the children were all very nervous, which made her heart ache.
She stepped closer, and spoke in a gentle, pleasant voice.
"Hello! I'm Neia. Is it okay if I talk to you guys for a bit?"
It took a few moments before only a few of the children nodded stiffly.
"Okay, thank you."
She crouched down in front of the cute little girl at the very left.
"Hello. Can I ask your name?"
"I-I'm A-Alina..."
"What a nice name! I hope you like it here?"
"I-it's okay..."
"That's good, at least… better than having no home at all, hm?"
She moved a bit to the right, to address a boy who seemed that he may be the youngest here.
"Hello. Would you tell me your name?"
"I am Fevin, Y-Your Holiness."
"You can just call me Neia, okay?"
"O-okay..."
She then noticed that this whole time she was talking to them, her wings were moving around vigorously.
...
"... Lady Neia? Can you fly?"
"Unfortunately not, but if I wanted to, my husband can use a spell to let me do that."
"Neia? Can you use your wings as a blanket?"
"I could, but then the wings would be cold instead."
It took a few more minutes following the introductions, but it seemed the children were now far less nervous than before, and their adorable curiosity had them asking all sorts of questions.
"Does His Majesty drink water?"
"He can't eat or drink, because he's a skeleton."
Just then, the door to the hall opened, which meant it was probably time for the ceremony.
Neia would prefer to spend at least a little bit more time with the children, but this was important, of course…
...
Stepping outside, she could see that there was now a proper crowd. And in the centre of this crowd, she could see the reason she was here today.
The five little children had all bowed down to her at the same time as their temporary caretaker. She didn't know what species two of them were, but one of them was a zern, one was a lizardman, and one was a bafolk. The bafolk seems to have just dried off after taking a bath, as her fur was puffy, which made her look very round and a little fat, which Neia found quite cute. Her little horns were also not nearly as big as an adult's, being just adorable little stumps.
Neia wouldn't know which gender the demi-human children would be at all if she didn't request that the girls were made to wear dresses, which was to avoid any awkward mistakes she might otherwise make. Since this was a public event specifically meant to show off her acceptance of demi-humans, such a mistake could be quite embarrassing.
Making sure the crowd's eyes were on her and the children one last time, she spoke in a loud but gentle tone.
"Please rise... Hello, I am Neia Baraja, High Priestess of the Faith of the Sorcerer King, and wife to its God, Ainz Ooal Gown. I am very happy to welcome the first demi-human children to Hoburns' largest orphanage. I hope you will find that the hostilities between our species are a thing of the past, and I am sure you will make many friends here!"
She didn't feel very good using the children like this, but it was for a good cause, so she hoped that they would understand if she apologised in private later.
"Now, let's go inside and share introductions with the rest of the children, okay?"
The crowd being allowed inside and tainting their first impressions had particularly bothered her, and Bertrand had to convince for quite some time, eventually doing so by using her own words from a speech about needing to accept demi-humans against her.
Hopefully they'll be fine, even if they grow up under some pressure for things to go well...
... ... ...
Demiurge sat in his office, staring into empty space.
Lately, he had used all his time not taken up by other duties to ponder Neia Baraja, and his master's often puzzling treatment of her.
He recently felt like he had made somewhat of a breakthrough when he realised something rather obvious, which many others, like Albedo, probably knew for a long time by now. While Baraja must have been extremely useful for Lord Ainz to treat her case with so much attention to detail, it wasn't just about her. It was about her future iterations.
If she was this useful, his master must surely be preparing to shape many others as he once did with her. For this reason, she was likely used by him for all sorts of experiments regarding how he should approach those which will come after, and how certain treatment of them will affect their effectiveness.
He truly felt like the greatest of fools for not realising this earlier…
But creating multiple people of such devotion, chosen for their skill... only the leader of the Supreme Beings could pull that off, truly.
Just then, he heard a knock on his door.
"Enter."
It was an imp, carrying a single piece of text-covered paper. It was moving with great haste, which made him tense up. Was it important?
"Lord Demiurge..."
It put the document down on his table with a deep bow, and then immediately moved to leave without another word.
Demiurge did not hesitate to pick it up and start reading. It seemed to concern Neia Baraja... he had just sent a few spies to Hoburns, due to his recent realisation. Did they already have something for him?
As he read on, the speed at which he did so went from hasty to rushed. He could not believe his own eyes as he read the report.
He then read the entire thing two more times, anger making him feel like this could not be the case at all.
He then shouted, and could not help but tear up the paper.
"That bitch! How dare she?!"
This was disrespect of the highest order. Disrespect so great that it was outright betrayal.
"This is... and after everything he did! After he lowered himself to pretend to care for such a creature! Unforgivable!"
He took a deep breath. He needed to calm down at least a little bit before his next move.
"[Message]. Lord Ainz? This is Demiurge."
"Yes, what is it?"
"I believe Neia Baraja has betrayed you."
"..."
"... Lord Ainz?"
"T-t-that's... n-no... that couldn't be! N-no, I..."
He felt quite surprised that his master was this distressed. But it only made sense, considering how much effort was already spent on this project, with much of it being him acting personally.
"I… I… Demiurge, come to the throne room immediately. Do not delay for even a second."
"Yes, Lord Ainz!"
...
As Ainz sat on the throne, he was shaking slightly.
'This... this couldn't be, right? Surely this is some sort of misunderstanding... Neia loves me, and I love her... this is all wrong... this is...'
Although his panic and fear was already suppressed earlier, it didn't take long for it to build up to painful levels again.
'Why... What could she have done? Surely it's impossible... surely my beloved Neia wouldn't... Neia, she...'
Just then, the massive door finally opened.
He clenched his fists as the demon got nearer, his footsteps being the only sound in the crushing silence.
He didn't know whether he looked forward to him arriving, or whether he dreaded it. If this was all just a misunderstanding, then his fears would be dispelled, but... if it wasn't... no, surely that wasn't right...
"Lord Ainz."
He finally spoke, and knelt.
"S-speak! What happened?! Why do you suspect her betrayal?!"
"Lord Ainz, I have received a report of massive statues being built in Hoburns, portraying you standing together side by side, with both your statues being equal in size! In her arrogance, she seems to think herself your equal! Such disrespect cannot be allowed!"
He made sure to listen to every word, and carefully keep them in his memory. As Demiurge finished, he repeated the whole statement in his head multiple times, to make sure he understood everything.
"So... it's because of those statues... it's because of them that you said she betrayed me..."
"Yes!"
After processing the answer for a few seconds, he made an incredibly loud sigh of relief he felt a monumental weight being lifted off his chest.
But as he leaned back in his throne and relaxed, he then also facepalmed.
'Seriously... this is it? Those... statues? Is Demiurge really that fanatical to see that as betrayal?... Well, Neia herself said that religious imagery was sensitive like that, and needed me to reassure her that it was fine... ugh... just how stupid am I?'
He was now so exhausted that he let his body go completely limp, making his hand slide down his face slowly.
'Damn it, I'm such an asshole! I really doubted Neia because of something Demiurge told me?! Ugh... she loves me so much, and I was so quick to jump to conclusions... is that just because she's my first love? Maybe I'm just paranoid because someone like me falling in love feels too good to be true... damn it all... I'm such a bad husband. I can't even trust the woman I love when it was clear that it was a misunderstanding! Of course my dear Neia would never go against me… And why-'
"Lord Ainz?..."
The last thing he wanted to hear now was the voice of the person who brought this situation about. He decided to just ignore him. He was too annoyed to respond to his insanity now.
"... Lord Ainz? I would suggest bringing her in for torture immediately. I have already made some preparations to do so."
As the image of Neia being made to suffer terribly by those in Nazarick found its way into his mind, the annoyance and exhaustion from before turned into something else.
He sat back into an upright position.
"... Demiurge."
Just now, even he was surprised with the venom present in his own voice.
"L-Lord Ainz?"
The demon went from being angry to fearfully tensing up under the pressure of his voice.
"... you moron… What the hell are you thinking?"
As he finished saying that, he quickly got up in one smooth motion, making the terrified Demiurge wince.
"You think that's enough to consider her a traitor? Do you really?... You idiot!"
He started walking towards him, which made him squirm.
"Do you want to know something? I had those damn statues built. I didn't consider it noteworthy to tell anyone, because I didn't think you would be this much of a complete fool... the audacity!"
He was now quite close, and the demon looked like he was being tortured.
"You'd just ruin everything without my constant babysitting, huh? In that case, let me spell it out for you plainly... Stay the hell away from Neia! You will not even think about touching her! This applies to everyone in Nazarick!"
He felt emotional suppression kick in. This made him go back to his previous state of exhaustion. He was just tired of everyone in Nazarick, and having to dance around them due to this whole situation. Like never before, he just wanted to tell them how he felt about Neia, and how he felt about their hatred for humans.
But he wouldn't do that, of course... as much as he wanted to at times like these.
"Demiurge... I am… disappointed. You damn failure…"
And with that, he teleported away, into his room.
"[Message]. Neia?"
"Ah, darling?"
"Sorry, are you free right now?"
"Right now? I'm just preparing to make a speech."
"So you're in the backstage like usual?"
"Yes. What's going on? Is something wrong?"
"I want to meet you. I'll be right there."
He then cut the connection, and teleported over.
Now that he was there in person, he saw that she was standing in front of a mirror, and next to her was a maid.
"Hello darli- ah!"
He immediately stepped up to kiss her, while using one hand to hold her head from the back, and putting the other on her ass.
He enjoyed the kiss for a good long moment, before finally pulling away to see her completely shocked face. The maid had a similar reaction, with her mouth hanging wide open.
"D-darling?! Wh-what's gotten into you?!"
"Sorry. Just had a rough... meeting, and I want to get the stress out. When is the speech starting?"
"W-wha... uhm, in about ten minutes?"
"That's enough. Let's have some fun until then."
"F-fun?! I... uhm..."
He looked at the maid.
"Sorry, but you can't watch."
The maid was completely petrified for several more seconds, before finally nodding and quickly running out of the room.
"Alright, let's get you out of this dress..."
Neia also took some time to process the situation, but did eventually nod, and start unbuttoning.