The life of an adventurer was harsh and unforgiving; For the past few weeks, Neia had worked from sunrise to sunset to earn just enough to get by and upkeep her gear, nothing else. On the plus side, she was promoted to iron plate within the first few days and on a path to receiving a silver plate, which, in turn, would give her access to a few jobs that paid enough for travel.
The iron plate jobs paid barely enough for her daily expenses, but that was it, and saving up for the travel to the capital of Re-Estize was painfully slow. She hadn't much luck with the local adventurer teams either, save for the group of old soldiers who once served under her father, as most steered clear of the new scary foreign woman. She did a few jobs together with them, but there was no way she would join such a team out of self-respect.
The sun had long set, yet even so, she wasn't tired enough to sleep, instead choosing to sit in the tavern area of the inn and slowly sip ale that had gone stale a while ago and was cheap enough not to worry about indulging in such a beverage. She had picked a darker corner, preferring not to draw attention, as the unfaltering title of the mad-eyed archer was enough as is.
"I told you we should move today! The capital has issued a call for all heroes to cull the monster population in the nearby forest!" A loud woman's voice interrupted the chatter of the inn.
Neia turned her attention to newcomers and recognized them as the gold plate team Hurricane, consisting of four women. They weren't the strongest in the region, only distinct enough to be recognizable, but they were a relatively strong force to be reckoned with.
Their leader was a priest clad in a gray robe and a fancy hat that framed long, messy blonde hair. She walked forward with a confident stride, carrying a long, wooden staff with a silver ball at the tip wherever she went.
Besides the leader was a tall woman clad in a patched plate set with a massive shield on her back, bulked up from work and experience. She had a fairly nice longsword attached to her belt. Like a hawk, she watched everyone around the team, ready to defend at all times. She was also at least a head taller than the rest of her team. Neia had heard her being compared to the legendary adamantite hero Gagaran, though this girl was a far cry from the beast of a woman, who was the dedicated shield of the Blue Roses.
Behind them was a petite girl in a tight leather armor set with six daggers strapped to her belt, and short, black hair that seemed like it hadn't been combed for a decade. She had a very casual demeanor as if nothing in the world could hurt her.
The last one was a girl with a lute and a massive hat that cast her delicate face in perpetual shadows. She wasn't paying attention to her surroundings, her mind elsewhere.
Neia had heard about the bard class and their rare power-boosting abilities, but they were not common among adventurer teams since they couldn't directly contribute to a fight, mostly support.
"Didn't you plan to find the mad-eye before we move? We need a ranger in our team," The girl with the black hair asked their leader as they approached the bar and started to order drinks.
"I'm starting to think she's just a myth. My luck of finding her couldn't be that bad. A skilled archer with noble roots just shows up and leaves an impression and you can never find her," The priestess lamented.
"If you could get out of bed before noon we could have caught her in the morning when most people pick jobs." The tall woman took a jab.
"Shut it!" The priestess screeched, trying to shove her teammate, only to run into her like a brick wall without as much as budging the taller woman.
"Mad eye is sitting in that corner. Just be careful or she will curse you." The tavern keep informed them and pointed in her direction.
Neia slunk down in her chair even deeper with a tired sigh. Another bad rumor about her was bound to spread now. Now she, apparently, could curse people like some sort of witch just by being displeased with someone.
The team of girls approached her, the priest in the lead. They took seats around her without asking. "Hey, we were looking for you, mind if we chat a bit?" The tall woman asked.
"No," Neia replied. From what she had overheard, they had no hostile intentions, but that might have been a ruse to lull her into a false sense of security. Couldn't be too careful as a solo adventurer.
"I'll get straight to the point. We heard that you're a skilled archer with paladin training and we are currently lacking ranged team members. We are a gold-ranked team on our way to platinum. I am Iona, the team's healer and a devout follower of the God of Light. We are team Hurricane, the best there is in these parts." The priest introduced herself and her team briefly.
"Kira, I am a rogue and close combat specialist." The dark-haired was next to speak, leaning forward.
"Agasha, team's defender." The tall woman stated between large gulps from her drink.
"I'm Lia. It's nice to meet you." The bard was last to introduce herself.
"Neia." She said only her name for now to be on the safe side, not that many didn't know who she was around this area.
"You are the daughter of the black color, right? I heard your old man is a great hero in Roble." Kira asked.
"Yes." Neia nodded. There was no point trying to deny who she was now that they had their suspicions.
"Ah, don't be shy, we're cute but not that cute." Agasha wrapped an arm around Neia's shoulder with a hearty laugh.
"Speak for yourself, ogre. Unlike you, I'm cute as hell!" Kira huffed.
"Do you want to be hanged on the door frame by the panties again!" Agasha shouted back.
"Please excuse them. Both have half a brain between them and they share it." Iona glared at her teammates, turning to face Neia. "It is an honor to meet someone like you. I heard that paladins devote their all to protecting the people and I think it is admirable you are training to be one."
"I'm not a paladin yet. This pilgrimage would decide if I ever become one." Neia replied as she hid behind her mug, taking small sips.
"Traveling to another nation alone as a girl. That takes guts. So, want to join us while you're on this pilgrimage, or is some oath preventing you?" Agasha continued.
"I wouldn't mind, but I am only an iron plate."
"That isn't a problem. You got a name for yourself in a few weeks, and from what I heard you're at least on gold plate level. I'm sure we can work something out and while you help us we'll help you on your pilgrimage." Iona offered.
"I need to reach the graveyard of E-Rantel, but I have no time limit so I can join your team for a while." Neia agreed to the offer. Having a team would make things so much easier and she wouldn't need to look over her shoulder constantly. And she liked these girls from what she had seen. They weren't as uptight as the squires and seemingly were ready to accept her for who she was despite her background.
"E-Rantel? Oh, it's about that new God then. I heard about it. The God of Life and Death saved the entire city from the death spiral. Oh, what I would have given to be there and see it for myself. I heard he even blessed one of the adventurer teams." Iona spoke with barely hidden envy, attracting the attention of the others.
"But why send just one squire to investigate? I would assume a team of paladins would go there," Kira questioned.
Neia hesitated a bit. The smart decision would be to not say anything, but the friendliness of the girls and the alcohol inhibited her reasoning. As someone who hadn't had a single friend for most of her life and whose environment was usually extremely hostile to her merely existing, such interaction was too much and they clearly wouldn't get much out of declining or backstabbing her as a reputable gold-ranked team.
"I saw the event in a vision during meditation. That's why they sent me alone." She finally admitted, finishing her mug.
"Looks like the New God has picked you for some reason. I would love to know more. He must be related to the God of Light in some manner. It must be fate that we met you," Iona speculated.
"Maybe the vision was just for her. You shouldn't be so nosy." Lia, the girl who had been mostly quiet so far, scolded the priestess, poking her.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to be so forward. I'll understand if you don't want to share your experience." Iona apologized while hurriedly staring away from the fair-skinned girl with the giant hat.
"I'm not sure what to make of it, so I prefer not to talk about it. The paladin order is very strict about everything not concerning the Four."
"I never fully understood why people of Roble only worship four out of Six Great Gods. You know all six once were present and now we know a new God is here. I may not have to take upon him as my patron God, but I still can venerate him like the rest for helping humanity." Iona spoke philosophically.
"I'm not a priest, so it's not my place to think about such things."
"Enough about that god stuff. Let's have a few drinks and prepare to take on a job tomorrow. We're going to the capital first anyway." Agasha interrupted the religious banter.
"For once I agree with her. You two can go all out when we reach E-Rantel. For now, we better prepare to clear monsters around the capital." Kira voiced her support for the group's defender, hefting her equipment.
There was no reason to object to this plan. Joining a gold-ranked team would help her tremendously and even with a long detour she could reach her goal faster and safer with them than traveling alone. Perhaps she could even make some decent money to add to her meager savings.
Pero had now officially declared Clementine as his apostle, the one who would spread his worship to the world at large. Ulbert and Tabula would no doubt soon follow with Renner and Nfirea respectively, it was only a matter of time. Buku didn't have a clear candidate on her hands as of now, but she likely would find one soon with how fast the army consisting of the locals was growing. That left only him and Albedo without apostle candidates. While his girlfriend was in no rush to build her worshiper base, Ainz felt left out of his friend group.
During the last few days, there was a particular spike he felt in worship, which turned out to be Enri taking upon him as her patron god. She felt like a decent candidate as she, same as him, was starting to embrace the role of a leader, they also both disliked being a leader who carried far too many responsibilities for their benefits.
Ultimately, Ainz decided to consult Eleleth, as she had experience on the matter and could hopefully provide some insight. Once she returned from Slane, where now four of her legions present in the material world on their rampage were dismantling everything connected to the worship of Six Great Gods, he called the angel into his office and questioned her on the topic.
"While Enri would be a decent choice, I have found a better candidate to become your apostle, Lord. She has already witnessed you through visions and is on a mission to find out more about you." Eleleth declared after hearing what her master wanted to know as she sent a mental link to observe a girl through an established link.
Since it was only a suggestion, he didn't need to affirm that he would pick this specific girl he knew nothing about mere moments ago. The link his faithful summon gave him did provide quite a lot of information, the first one being how to establish such a link with anyone sending prayers his way.
Neia Baraja, a squire from a distant nation of the Roble Holy Kingdom, was on a pilgrimage to find out more about him on behalf of a hated superior. He could sense her hatred towards the woman clear as day, intense enough to even delight Demiurge. Neia had been bullied by this superior for a long time and her near exile was just another drop in the bucket, a veritable death trap disguised as a pilgrimage in hopes of her dying in the process.
He also could sense her longing for a place to belong and the anxiety of being different compared to those around her. Ainz could see the girl's visage clear as day in his mind's eye; she wasn't ugly or off-putting, but she had a fierce stare, demanding attention and respect.
"What is so special about this one? She doesn't particularly believe I am a God or seeks to follow me. If anything, she wants to return to the safety of her religion." Ainz commented.
"Look deeper inside her soul, my Lord, she has a drive like no other. Give her a sense of belonging and direction and she will build empires in your name."
The angel spoke the truth, he quickly found. This simple mortal girl had a drive like no other in her soul, but nothing was fueling it at the moment, save for spite to succeed despite the odds against the woman who had tormented her, tortured her, for so long. He would monitor her and when the opportunity presented itself, give her a direction and a place to truly belong: within Nazarick.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by aidan_lo, Sluethen, Mfkzrocker, fvvck, clagan, x4x, and LionLover
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