At this point, she was only fueled by her sheer belief as she could barely aim properly and her hands shook from both exhaustion and the strain that channeling her mighty God's power had caused.
Neia held her breath and let go of the string, her arrow flew straight, finding the target and killing a smaller flying demon instantly, impaling it against the wooden roof. Her friends all had taken their much-needed breaks and rested in hastily set-up resting points for the wounded and tired, but she remained at the forefront, killing a dozen a minute. She would never be weak again. The next time Lord Ainz graciously offered his power to perform another miraculous deed through her, she would be ready to accept his grace, no matter what it took.
"Neia, you have to take some rest, you'll just collapse soon. Saint or not, even you need food and sleep." Iona scolded her while casting a healing spell on a wounded soldier, glaring at the archer.
Thanks to her and her team's effort they hadn't only not lost any ground but even gained some, recovering an entire chunk of the city. Neia had heard her team was being compared to the Blue Roses who held their ground in the opposite end of the affected area, destroying swaths of demons left and right with their extraordinary talents. Thus she needed to keep up, to show her resolve to her God.
"I can't… I must keep fighting." She replied with a ragged breath, her exhausted fingers grasping another arrow from a nearly empty quiver, noticing a runner scurrying to hand her another only to be stopped by her teammates.
"Listen to Boss," Agasha joined in with a harsh scolding tone, "Take a few hours to rest. We'll be fine without you and I promise, if another big nasty demon shows up, I'm running to you first to get your help."
Even the usually quiet Lia spoke up, her voice soft, almost ethereal, "The spirits cannot keep you up for much longer. You will collapse soon, no matter what."
"Fine." Neia finally gave in under the pressure, quickly emptying her quiver.
The camp was only a two-minute walk away. The moment she arrived she was met with a sight of soldiers, healers, and the people assisting on the field sleeping on sleeping bags, piles of clothes and blankets, and in some cases makeshift beds that likely were reserved for officers and high-ranking adventurers. Utter organized chaos.
An older woman with gray hair and a wrinkly face worn down by time, walking among the sleeping and looking for injuries, noticed her and approached at a brisk pace.
"You must be Saint Neia. Come, there is a bed if you need to rest. I hope you aren't too hungry, we ran out of porridge hours ago and I don't know when we'll get more." The woman greeted her and quickly motioned to follow.
The food would have been nice but she was so tired that it didn't matter that much to her right now. Now that the stress of battle was gone she fully felt the fatigue and tiredness of both mind and body, foretelling a grim premonition that she would wake up stiff and with muscles screaming in pain from their exertion.
She passed out the moment she laid down in the bed, only taking off her boots and putting her weapons under it before collapsing to scare the nearby resting fighters. If the people running the camp wouldn't or couldn't guard against unsavory subjects, her God most definitely would. Her sleep was deep and dreamless yet immensely soothing.
Neia woke up shivering a few hours later with the sun barely above the rooftops, signaling that the battle was about to get that much harder. As she sat up she found herself not only rested but without any extreme negative effects that came from overextending her body, ready to go kill more demons.
There was an underlying, familiar presence at the back of her mind. Lord Ainz's messenger was watching over her and had rewarded her for her feats.
'Thank you, Lord Ainz. I will do my best not to be weak.' She sent a quick prayer and got out of bed, picking up her weapons and strapping on her boots again. One thing she noted was that her gear needed maintenance and her clothes needed to be washed, though she had no idea when she would get the time or find the people for such necessities. Additionally, her stomach let out a loud growl, protesting the lack of nourishment.
'Perhaps I should get some food before I get back to the frontline.' She started to look around, hopeful to see a cart and there it was. At the other end of the camp, some young, noble lady was handing out both bowls and packs of prepared food to soldiers while chatting with her team, all of whom were present in the camp for some odd reason. Perhaps trying to smooch up to the noble lady for better connections, but that wasn't her business as such dealings fell on Iona's shoulders.
Neia hurried over to see what was going on, almost tripping over her feet which, though perfectly fine, still were showing signs of overextension, and attempted to relax her muscles mid-step.
Agasha, noticing her funny walk, shouted, "Hey, you alright!?"
"I'm fine," Neia replied, tensing up her muscles in an attempt to walk normally. A feat she somehow managed to enact until reaching her friends and the young, noble lady.
"Ah, the saint herself. On behalf of the Kingdom of Re-Estize, I thank you for your help, Neia Baraja. You have given hope to many who had lost it and without the miracle you performed, the capital might have been lost already." The noble lady bowed her head, her servants doing the same.
"See, Lady Renner herself is impressed, don't undermine what you did." Iona scolded her for who knew what time about her downplaying what she did.
"Lady Renner… wait, the Golden Princess!?" Neia panicked. A foreigner like her wasn't supposed to kneel for Re-Estize royalty, but at the same time, she was likely to stay here for a long while.
"With my brother's ascension to the throne, I am not a princess anymore, and please no formalities. I would feel embarrassed if a saint treated me like I am above the rest of the people." Renner flashed her a warm smile.
"O-of course, y-your highness," Neia stammered. It wasn't the first time she interacted with a royal as she had met the Holy Queen, and this occasion was just as nerve-wracking.
"Please just Renner will be fine. Come, I want to give you something." Lady Renner motioned for her to follow towards a carriage parked a short distance away.
Neia did as told, following the former princess and repeating her breathing exercises to forcefully calm her nerves. She had talked to a God yet interacting with a noble in such a casual setting was more stressful.
Renner reached the carriage and opened the door, "Come," and entered her transportation.
Neia took another long breath and followed. The interior was as posh as she expected with the only thing sticking out was a rather plain wooden box on the floor.
Renner closed the door and sat down. "Relax. I am not here as a representative of the crown. Besides, I would not dare to look down on Lord Ainz's chosen."
"You know about Lord Ainz?" Neia asked, forgetting that she screamed her God's name just a few hours ago.
"Neia, half of the city knows by now. It's not every day someone performs a mass resurrection, which is something not even Lakyus or any other mortal can do, proclaiming it to be the work of a God. Besides…" Renner paused her smile growing mischievous, "I am also a worshiper of the new Gods. But let's keep that between us for now."
"Wait, so you… did you see a vision as well?" Neia inquired. Renner was the first person who spoke about New Gods, which meant hers wasn't the only one.
"No. I was shown things more directly as my God saw value in me. As you follow Lord Ainz, the head of the pantheon, I follow mine, another of the New Gods. But unlike you, I cannot reveal my beliefs to the public yet due to my status. It is actually very exciting to meet someone who knows and would understand." Renner giggled in excitement, showing more of her actual age.
"I felt the same. My superiors, even my parents… Renner, we need to spread their worship. Do you know the names of others?" Neia asked, grabbing the girl's hands.
"No, but I will after we deal with this horrible invasion. As I understand, the Gods are not involved because they want to respect the authority of mortal rulers and my brother… I pray he will see reason and ask for help." Renner's smile faded.
"You need to be courageous. I was already shown that the greatest sin is to be weak and not strive for greatness. I believe you can change your brother's mind and your God will help you." Neia tried to be cheerful as she finally had found someone who was in the exact same situation and wanted to be supportive.
"I will try. Your actions are inspiring and I hope I will be able to help you. Speaking of which, I got you something I think you will find useful." Renner pulled her hands out of Neia's grasp and leaned down, opening the box.
Inside was a longbow and a chainmail set, but it wasn't just any equipment. Neia gasped in surprise. The items she was presented with were something only great heroes would wear. Even without touching the weapon and armor, she could tell they weren't only made from strong materials but held powerful enchantments, on par with those of legends and the uppermost adventurers.
"These… Renner, I can't." Neia shook her head.
"They are gifts from the Gods to you. I am but a delivery girl in their service, even though I will have to take credit for gifting these items to you publicly if anyone asks where you got them. Please take them. The glass of the carriage is stained so you can put them on right away." Renner urged her to accept the gift.
'I can't turn it down if it's a gift from the Gods. I wonder why she isn't telling me the name of her God. Perhaps she isn't supposed to, to protect herself?' Neia could only speculate about the reasons for Renner's secrecy. At the same time, she understood why Renner was so secretive. The former princess was a royal and she publicly declaring being a follower of a new religion could have dire consequences. Even if she herself never wanted to spill it, there were ways to make even the strongest humans spill information.
"In that case, I will accept them." Neia nodded and removed her dirty and worn armor, becoming fully aware of how filthy her appearance must be, face flushing bright red.
"I am not one to turn my nose up at grime. I am well aware of the practicalities of a battlefield and that bath is not an easy-to-find luxury in your situation." Renner instantly picked up on her anxieties.
"I know…" Neia still couldn't help but be self-conscious about her appearance before her new friend.
"We are about the same size coincidentally. Here, there are some spares stashed away." Renner opened a cabinet behind her seat and tossed a white shirt and pants into Neia's hands. "I think I can get a bucket with water and a washcloth as well. Just wait here."
Before Neia could answer she was left alone in the carriage, admiring the equipment she had been given. She didn't have to sit alone for long as Renner soon returned with the promised items and a piece of pleasant-smelling soap on top of it, easily expensive enough to cost her a month of earnings.
"Here, and don't worry about the carriage. I will continue my work while you freshen up." Renner declared and closed the door from outside.
There was no way for her to reject the chance to wash and put on fresh clothes, not that she wanted to reject it, and thus she began rapidly stripping herself.
Neia emerged from the carriage only a few minutes later, now clad in her new armor with the new bow strapped to her back and the sword to her belt. Her old ones were held in hand as spares just in case. Renner was doing what she did before and distributing food and bandages to soldiers with her team acting as temporary guards as she had sent her two main guards, a man named Climb and the legendary Gazef Stronoff himself, to help keep the demons at bay.
"Whoa, Looking great! I hope you don't plan to ditch us and join some fancy Mithril or even an Orichalcum team. If you do, I'll become your stalker." Kira declared with a mock fear in her tone.
"Don't tease her. But yeah I'm envious of your shiny new gear." Agasha joined in.
"I will try getting you all new sets. Perhaps not as fancy ones but an upgrade nonetheless." Renner assured them.
"Being on a noble's payroll sure helps." Kira chuckled. "Just don't expect us to kill your political opponents. We aren't that good."
"I don't think I have any," Renner replied matter of factly. "And I like aiding people who help the kingdom. Who knows, maybe when the demons and their foul leader are defeated I can arrange for you to meet the Blue Roses."
"Now you're spoiling us." Kira grinned.
"We are honored for your help, your highness, and promise to do our best." Iona smacked Kira on the back of her head and bowed.
"Please do. The lives of people depend on it. Well, it seems that's the last of it. I'll try to get more supplies to distribute and hopefully be able to help more. Ladies, please remember to rest, and good luck. We are counting on you." Renner waved them goodbye and returned to her carriage.
Despite the grim situation, Neia's excitement grew. With such powerful gear, she was sure to make a bigger difference. She could already feel the power difference and was calculating how she could increase her output to the maximum to prove her worth once more to her God Ainz.
Editing by aidan_lo.
Proofreading by Sluethen, fvvck, mfkz_rocker, Stac, x4x, IAMTHEPLOKOKIOPO, and aidan_lo.
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