There were a total of four people in the room.
There were two paladins, who had come straight here after the fighting and were thus still in bloodstained armor — Remedios Custodio and Gustav Montagnés. There was the person in charge of the surviving priests, a middleaged man who could use third-tier spells — Siliaco Naranjo. And then there was Prince Caspond Bessarez.
Two of them had come from the battlefield and one of them had been in charge of healing the wounded. As a result, Prince Caspond's room was filled with the stench of blood.
Remedios had not removed her helmet even now. That was not proper etiquette for visiting a prince's chambers at all — one could even call it disrespectful — but Caspond did not seem bothered by it and he appeared very calm.
At the same time, the atmosphere in the room was terrible, though not because of the preceding point. It was true that it reeked in here, but the reason was because the mood in the air was harsh. It was so weighty that it even seemed to dull the sunlight entering through the window.
This was not how people who had beaten overwhelmingly unfavorable odds and emerged victorious ought to be.
Caspond was the first person to speak in this weighty silence. Still, who else could speak first but him?
"Then tell me about our casualty situation."
"Of the 6000 militiamen we brought onto the battlefield, roughly 2400 of them have been injured or killed."
"…If I may add to the Vice-Captain-dono's words, there were around 1000 wounded. The priests tried to heal them, but we failed to reach about half of them in time and they died. "
"…And then half of the paladins survived, and eight priests died."
Caspond closed his eyes and shook his head as he heard Gustav's words.
"Against a demi-human army like that… while we can't say losses like these are a good thing, should we be grateful that those were all we took? Or should we be sad for the sheer number of casualties—"
"The latter."
Remedios's still, small voice interrupted Caspond.
"The latter."
"…Captain Custodio is right. We ought to be sad to have suffered such losses."
Gustav and Siliaco looked down as they heard Caspond's words.
They knew that it was a miracle — albeit a man-made one — that the woefully outnumbered Holy Kingdom Liberation Army had so many survivors when they had taken on a 40,000-strong army of demi-humans. However, they also understood that saying something like this would be disruptive and unproductive, so they had no choice but to do this instead.
"Was it the Sorcerer King who defeated the demi-human forces in their formation?"
"Yes. We're unsure about the details due to the of lack eyewitness reports during the chaos of defending the city walls, but there's talk of mysterious undead beings destroying the army."
"I see. That matches up with what I heard from the Sorcerer King. So he used the undead he created to clean them up — wiped out a massive army like that, hm? In that case… do you think the Sorcerer King can defeat Jaldabaoth?"
Caspond shifted his gaze to Remedios, but she simply pursed her lips and remained silent. The highly volatile air around the Holy Kingdom's strongest paladin made her a figure of dread to the weak. Caspond turned away from her and toward Gustav, who immediately returned his gaze with a deeply apologetic look in his eyes and bowed his head.
"Hahh… is it really alright to bet the entire Kingdom on him? Or rather —
should we think of what to do if the Sorcerer King loses to Jaldabaoth? Does anyone have any ideas for the next best thing we can do if that comes to pass?"
He was answered by silence. Amidst all this, Remedios spoke up.
"In that case, how about calling Momon over?"
The three people other than Remedios looked at each other with severe expressions on their faces.
Remedios — who felt it was a good idea — frowned.
"What? Do you have any better ideas? It's more proper than that damn undead, no?"
"…Captain. We are now discussing what to do if the Sorcerer King dies. In such a situation, expecting to go to the Sorcerer Kingdom to get more help would be very risky."
"Not necessarily," Siliaco said as he stroked his white moustache.
"A moment please, Vice-Captain-dono. The Captain-dono's idea is risky, but not a bad move. How about lying about the Sorcerer King being captured by Jaldabaoth and getting Momon to come over?"
"Priest-dono, that would be too dangerous. Even if Momon defeated Jaldabaoth, discovery of the lie could trigger a war. Even if all goes well, the Sorcerer Kingdom's impression of our country will plunge to rock bottom. And if things go badly, Momon might very well become a second Jaldabaoth and lead the Sorcerer Kingdom's undead army into our nation."
"Precisely, you two. And the worst thing is that the Sorcerer Kingdom will have a justified grievance against us."
Remedios tilted her head at Caspond's explanation.
"We're not adjacent to the Sorcerer Kingdom, so that's okay, right?"
"…Captain Custodio, please stop thinking of dangerous things. I don't want to adopt any policies that will endanger us… that said, I don't have any good ideas. How about you two?"
Siliaco and Gustav could not think of anything either.
The room was plunged into a brief silence.
Eventually, Caspond quietly spoke up.
"…For the time being, let's each go back and think about it on our own. There'll be no problems if the Sorcerer King can defeat Jaldabaoth." Caspond clapped his hands together. "Then let's talk about something else. What about the rations that the demi-humans brought? Can we eat them normally? And if we can consume them, how long can they last?"
Normally, they would belong to the Sorcerer King since he had defeated the demi-human army, but he had already said that he would hand them over free of charge.
Gustav answered. He was in charge of sundry tasks like that.
"There seem to be a lot of hardened bread-like objects and vegetables that we should be able to eat. Thanks to the attack of the Sorcerer King's undead creatures, they were captured intact, so they are in very good condition. In addition, there are also some food items which need to be further investigated, such as sour-smelling vegetables and so on."
Preserved food was very common in the Holy Kingdom. However, these were demi-human rations, so they might belong to a species which ate rotting food, which was why Gustav said they had to investigate further.
"There is only one problem. That would be the meat."
"Which means?"
Gustav's face was dark as he looked at Caspond.
"A portion of the meat looks like it came from humans. That conclusion came from looking at its shape and we're not certain about it. Maybe we could tell if we ate it, but I'd rather not sample it, if you don't mind."
"How much meat are we talking about here?"
Siliaco had a disgusted look on his face.
"Many demi-humans eat meat, so there was a lot of it. At a glance, it seems like half of the rations they brought were meat."
"What?! Half of the rations for an army of 40,000 troops is meat?"
Hypothetically, if a demi-human ate a kilogram of meat a day, that would make
40 tons. If they had enough for two weeks, that would be 560 tons. In that case — the Prince grabbed his face.
"…How much of that is human meat?"
"We don't know. Checking each and every piece would take a lot of time, and if they aren't in their original shapes…"
"It would be a shame to pointlessly discard food when the future seems grim. I would like to separate the human meat from the other meat… Priest Naranjo, can your spells do anything on that front?"
"My apologies, Prince. We cannot do something like that. I feel my colleagues among the paladins should be the same way."
Caspond saw Gustav nod and sighed deeply.
"So magic can't do everything huh? How about having the captive demihumans eat it to find out?"
"We should let the dead rest in peace. If there's human meat, we ought to return it to the earth."
"Exactly, Captain Custodio… what do you think, Vice-Captain Montagnés?"
"Yes, I agree with the Captain. I feel that no matter what, we won't have enough time to investigate each and every barrel of meat. We ought to use our time and effort on other areas."
"I see… very well, I understand. So with regards to the demi-human meat, we'll dispose of everything that looks questionable. In that case how about the demi-humans' arms and armor?"
The Sorcerer King had also handed them over for free, but he had also said that that he would be expecting something in gratitude, so they would have to hand over the appropriate items if the time came.
If they could defeat Jaldabaoth or take back the Royal Capital, Caspond planned to announce to the people that he would be handing the nation's riches over to the Sorcerer Kingdom.
"Firstly, recovering the equipment from the demi-humans and burying the corpses will need time, therefore we won't even have time to check their quality… Priest-dono, if any undead spring up here, will they become the Sorcerer King's minions?"
Undead spawned easily in places where many people died. A place where more than 10,000 demi-humans had died fit perfectly.
Upon being addressed, a profoundly distressed look appeared on Siliaco's face.
"I do not know. I truly do not know. But anything could happen, so we ought to deal with the bodies and sanctify the land as soon as possible. I would like to rely on our strength alone for that, but we simply cannot manage that way, so I would like to get some help from the paladins."
"Ahh, leave it to us. We're used to dealing with the undead, after all."
"I'd expect no less from Captain Remedios, it puts my heart at ease… If only the Holy Queen-sama or Kelart-sama were here…"
Everyone fell silent as Siliaco's words tapered off.
After what seemed like a period of silent prayer, Caspond spoke.
"Ah, something on that point, Vice-Captain Montagnés. The Sorcerer King seems to want to take the magic items back to his nation, so he picked them out first. Of course, he'll return anything that belongs to the Holy Kingdom."
"Understood. That said, while we have some knowledge of swords and armor, we'll have difficulty with other items. If anyone here has knowledge of magical items, I would like them to step up and help."
"I could help when it comes to items passed down through the royal family. As for religious items, though—" Siliaco nodded as Caspond looked to him. "—
In that case, we'll go get helpers from among the civilians. Still, this was really unexpected. No, we should say it was more than we hoped for. We ought to thank the Sorcerer King's power for surpassing our expectations."
Nobody present voiced any objections. Amidst the silence, Caspond spoke again, like he was their representative.
"This city did not fall thanks to the Sorcerer King's power."
There was a very audible sound of teeth grinding, and Caspond looked worriedly at Gustav.
"After this, I will need to thank him on behalf of the Holy Kingdom. When the time comes, I hope you will all be present… in any event, being able to draw on the Sorcerer King's power and achieve victory is a joyous occasion."
"We did our best too. Don't forget that."
Remedios's words seemed to freeze the air in the room. No, it was two people who had frozen up; Gustav and Siliaco.
Gustav's mouth opened and closed like a koi. He looked like he had no idea how to apologize for his superior's outburst.
"…Indeed. Captain Remedios, it is a fact that we would not have won this battle without the fierce resistance that you and the people put up."
Caspond saw Remedios nod, and then he continued speaking,
"However — it is also a fact that without the Sorcerer King's help, we would have lost, and it is just as true that he could have won by himself. Am I wrong?"
Remedios savagely ripped off her helmet and flung it at the wall, making a loud bang.
"Your Highness! Did something happen?!"
The door to the room flew open, and the paladins on guard outside rushed in.
"Nothing happened. Continue waiting outside."
The paladins' eyes went back and forth between Remedios's helmet and the look on her face, and they realized what had happened. After indicating that they understood, they quietly left the room.
"Captain Custodio, please do not get worked up. I ask you to be calm."
"How can I be calm?! Almost everyone I've met on the way here was praising him! It's as though he won the whole thing by himself! Didn't he only show up halfway? How many people died before he won?! That was a victory paid for by the lives of the people, the paladins, the priests, men, women, elderly, and children!"
Remedios glared at Caspond.
"It's not true that he won by himself!"
"Captain!"
Gustav could no longer hide his fear at the way Remedios was acting in front of the prince. Remedios had never been one for thinking, but at the very least she was smart enough to know who was her superior. However, things were different now — she seemed like a pain-maddened beast.
"That bony bastard was flying around in the sky when it was all over to show himself off! Is war a game to him?!"
"…Captain Custodio, it seems witnessing the deaths of so many of the smallfolk has upset you. Would you like to take a rest?"
In response to Caspond's mature answer, Gustav shot the man a grateful look.
"Before that, there's one thing I've been thinking of. I'm sure Jaldabaoth and the Sorcerer King are in league with each other."
The three people other than Remedios looked at each other.
"Do you have a single fact to back that up, Captain-dono?"
Siliaco looked coldly at Remedios. If one looked calmly at what she had done until now, she was clearly saying that because she hated the Sorcerer King and wanted to bring him down. Now was not the time to let one's personal preferences dictate one's decisions.
"Isn't he the only one gaining from this? Both the demi-humans and the people of the Holy Kingdom are dead. He — the Sorcerer Kingdom is wearing away at our fighting strength in order to someday take control of the nation and the hills! That's why he came here!"
"…I see. That certainly makes sense from the perspective of profit. What do the two of you think?"
Gustav furrowed his brows as he answered Caspond's question.
"The Sorcerer King came here because we asked him. Also, was it not the Captain's suggestion to have the two of them fight?"
"…Indeed it was. That masked bitch in Blue Rose is also one of them. If not for what she said, we would never have gone to the Sorcerer Kingdom. If not for that suggestion, we would have gone to the Empire or the Theocracy. And who knows, he might have come anyway even if we didn't say anything."
Haaaaah, Caspond sighed deeply.
"Captain Custodio, your logic has been nothing but self-serving from the start. You're simply twisting the facts to match what you're saying. I recall the Sorcerer King saying he wanted the maid demons, am I wrong?"
"…Please forgive me for saying these things which are unbecoming of a priest. I hear that those maid demons are quite powerful. In that case, I can understand why the Sorcerer King would like to obtain them. Demons do not need to eat or drink and they do not have a maximum lifespan. Being able to dominate such powerful demons might be better than gaining an army."
"In that case, it would mean the Sorcerer King is aiding our nation because he felt there was sufficient value in it. It is only common sense for a king who rules a nation."
"Still, nobody's seen those maid demons before, right?!"
As Remedios screamed while in the grip of her emotions, Caspond looked at her like she was a pitiful, sad child.
"Captain Custodio. I would like to have a reasoned conversation with you, and not an emotional one… but it seems you are tired. Go and rest. That is an order."
The red-faced Remedios still looked like she wanted to shriek something else, but Caspond was a step ahead of her and continued speaking.
"Go visit the wounded men. That's part of your duties as a field commander, am I wrong?"
"…I understand."
Remedios picked up her helmet and left the room.
There was no way to describe how the air in the room relaxed after that. It felt like the sense of fatigue one would have after a storm had passed and all the pieces had been picked up, mixed with a sense of relief at the fact that one had managed to survive.
However, one man was not finished yet.
"Your Highness! I sincerely apologize for Captain Custodio's actions!"
Caspond smiled bitterly to Gustav as the latter bowed his head.
"It must have been really hard on you too. However, could you think about the future too? I honestly have no idea what's going to become of this country after this war is over. If only we could find my sister, the Holy Queen… what happened to the Holy Queen during the battle of Kalinsha? Did you hear anything from Captain Custodio?"
Gustav was Remedios's personal assistant. Therefore, he would have been present when Remedios told Caspond about it.
The fact that he knew but was asking again proved one thing — the prince suspected that Remedios might have been lying to him.
"…My Prince, I heard the same thing from Captain Custodio that she told Your Highness when we met for the first time."
She had been sent flying by a shockwave and when she came to, the Holy Queen and her sister — Kelart Custodio — were nowhere to be seen. Although there were corpses of paladins and adventurers and priests everywhere, the bodies of those two were nowhere to be found.
"Is that so? Maybe I was worrying too much… Captain Custodio does not seem like one of those people who say one thing and mean another. It would be better if they were captured by him. If they were killed… the matter of the succession would become very complicated."
Startled, Siliaco asked him a question.
"Caspond-sama, are you tired of the position of Holy King?"
"Are you flattering me? In truth that might be the case if my sister had perished of an accident under normal circumstances. However, things are different now. The North is tired and the South still has the ability to fight. In that case, it's very likely that the South might support someone else to be Holy King. Frankly speaking, it's very likely that one of the great nobles from the South might end up as Holy King."
"What?!"
Caspond smiled as he looked at Siliaco's shocked face.
"I don't think that should come as such a surprise… in that case, with regard to what Vice-Captain Montagnés said earlier, if things go well, the first thing the Southern nobles will do is request that Captain Custodio take responsibility for the whole affair and place her under house arrest."
"Why would they do that?"
"Then I'll ask you, Vice-Captain Montagnés — why would they not do that? Is a paladin who failed to protect Her Majesty not the perfect outlet for their unhappiness? And of course, that's not the only reason either. She can beat an army single-handedly. In that case, surely defanging your enemy is a basic tactic in warfare, am I wrong?"
"The enemy?! Who's the enemy?!"
"The enemies of the Southern nobles. In other words, the Holy Queen's faction. Remedios Custodio was a confidant of the Holy Queen. Surely the paladins she leads would also be seen as the enemy, am I wrong?"
"In that case, what about the priests that Kelart Custodio-sama led?"
"While there are priests who climbed the ranks thanks to their connections with the Southern nobles… don't you think that would be the case too? Priestly magic is indispensable in everyday life. While I feel that anyone knows how stupid it is to put someone incompetent in high office, people sometimes do things that can only be described as foolish by others."
"My Prince… what should we do?"
"Vice-Captain Montagnés, what do you mean by that? Do you want to keep her from being placed under house arrest? Or do you want to keep the paladins from getting involved?"
"I want a better future for the Holy Kingdom."
"…We need to find my sister. Then, we need an achievement that all the people will accept as having saved the nation. For instance, by driving out the enemy without having to draw on the strength of the South."
"That's impossible… we can't possibly win without the Sorcerer King's power."
Caspond looked at Gustav, who was complaining unconsciously, and shrugged.
"Still, that has to be done. Otherwise there won't be any way to stop the pressure from the South after we win. Hm, yes, or we could damage the South as badly as the North. All that matters is that the balance of power is preserved in the end." Caspond looked up at the ceiling. "If only we'd made a deal with the South sooner. She was too kind for her own good. And I understand how all this might have struck a nerve with Captain Custodio. After all, the only one who looked good in this battle was the Sorcerer King. If things go badly, the Sorcerer King might end up becoming the Holy King as well, am I wrong?"
The other two felt it was impossible, but neither of them could deny it.
"In that case, we need to start thinking about our plans from now on. While I would like Captain Custodio to be here, will she disobey a direct order?"
"…I feel it would be fine as long as it's in keeping with this country's justice."
"I see… I've been thinking about how to attack the prison camps. The reason for that is—"
Caspond began to explain.
Roughly 100,000 demi-humans had attacked the nation.
Since they had not heard of any movements from the demi-humans squaring off against the forces of the Southern Holy Kingdom, they estimated that the 40,000 demi-humans that had attacked them this time round were a large portion of the forces assigned to manage the prison camps in the North.
"I agree with your opinion. By attacking the undermanned prison camps, we can both destroy them piecemeal and increase our own forces at the same time. I feel it will kill two birds with one stone."
"Captain Montagnés, I am glad to hear you approve. How about yourself, Priest Naranjo?"
Siliaco also agreed with Caspond's suggestion.
"The Sorcerer King is in this city. Since he can keep us safe, I would like the paladins to attack the prison camps… can you do that? Also, one more thing. I would like Captain Remedios to stay here while you are launching the attack. Make her think that she's in charge of bodyguarding me."
"Thank you very much, my Prince!"
"…I don't think I've said anything you need to thank me for, Vice-Captain Montagnés," Caspond said as the smile slid from his face. "…The absence of the country's strongest paladin means that if there's someone like the Grand King at the prison camp you're attacking, you might all be wiped out, am I wrong?"
"Can we decide which camp to attack?"
"But of course. I'll leave it to you. There's no need to force yourself to attack a large camp that's more dangerous."
"Understood. In that case, I feel only we should go."
"Captain Montagnés, may several of our battle-capable priests go with you?"
"Certainly. Then we'll set out in a couple of days' time."
***
Ainz used [Greater Teleportation] to reach his destination, which was in front of the log cabin on the surface of Nazarick. Albedo, Demiurge, and Lupusregina were all standing there already, although he did not know how long they had been waiting.
Albedo and Demiurge had been summoned by Ainz, while Lupusregina must have been the one on duty in the cabin.
Since Lupusregina was in charge of all matters concerning Carne Village, she should have been excused from the log cabin's duty roster, but that was not set in stone.
Perhaps someone else was on duty, but they had not been able to make it, so Lupusregina had rushed over instead. That would be wonderful it were the case.
After all, that would imply that even if there was a lack of manpower for a shift after completing a mission, there was system to immediately swap someone else in to make up the shortfall.
Still, hang on.
While the Pleiades each had completely different job abilities, their maid skills were all equal. It only made sense that they could substitute for each other in a professional capacity.
However, in contrast to that, there were also personnel who were hard to replace. Starting with the Floor Guardians and the Guardian Overseer, there were some NPCs with highly specialized abilities who might need someone to take over them for one reason or another. This was especially true because Ainz had been working hard towards establishing a vacation system.
After all, letting Pandora's Actor substitute for all of them is also dangerous.
To take an extreme case, what if Ainz himself was not around? For instance, if he were imprisoned, or if he were charmed, or something else. While he did not think that everything would break down without him there to make decisions, he had the feeling that Albedo and Demiurge would both say, "Ainzsama would never let that happen to himself," and thus not plan for unforeseen circumstances.
I need to seriously assess the need for this, and quickly.
In a grave tone, Ainz bade the three people bowing to him to raise their heads.
"It has been a while, Demiurge."
"Yes!"
In truth, Ainz agonized over the Holy Kingdom's affairs every day, and he also thought about Demiurge every day, so it did not actually feel that way. However, it had been quite a long time since they had last met in person.
"Now then, you probably have questions about why I acted as I did. While I would like to answer you, speaking in this place is not quite appropriate. Let us go somewhere else."
Ainz was the first to enter the log cabin.
He could have come here straight away because there was a Mirror Gate set up, but he did not use it today.
There was a table in the center of the room, and there were two chairs facing each other on either side of it. Ainz took the seat of honor with familiarity and without hesitation. He had already experienced the problems which came of not doing so many times already. While he had once needed to ponder which was the top seat before sitting down, he had now reached the point where he could unconsciously take the seat of honor.
As he approached the chair, Lupusregina immediately pulled it out for him.
In truth, he was of the opinion that he ought to pull his chair out himself.
However, his observations of Jircniv had made him understand that it was very important for a ruler to let his subordinates do work. Still, letting them handle even trivial tasks like this gave Ainz the commoner a bit of difficulty.
After Ainz sat down, Albedo and Demiurge did not take a seat, but instead knelt on the floor. Behind them, Lupusregina went to her knees as well.
"—I permit the two of you to sit down."
The two Guardians politely refused in unison. Ainz once again granted his permission to the two Guardians, whereupon they finally sat opposite Ainz after a great deal of thanks and gratitude. Lupusregina, on the other hand, stood stock still behind the two of them.
This takes so long and it's a waste of time. Couldn't it be simpler like… ugh.
"Then let us continue our previous topic. While I said there was nobody who needed to be saved, I rescued the people of the Holy Kingdom nonetheless. I am sure you have your questions about that, do you not?"
"No, not at all."
—Er? W-Why?
Demiurge shook his head gently, unable to resist the urge to sigh in admiration.
"Everything you do is correct, Ainz-sama. I feel that the reason why you did so was because you saw that it held merits which I could not imagine."
"That is correct. If you feel it needs to be done, then it must be correct, Ainzsama."
—Eh?
Albedo's words froze Ainz's facial expressions solid. But of course, Ainz had no facial expressions to speak of.
The way the two Guardians — who were also the most knowledgeable Guardians in Nazarick — nodded in unison before him filled him with various flavors of terror and anxiety.
"Wait, wait. Indeed… yes, it is true." Ainz began to panic. The conversation had travelled a path that was slightly different from what he had foreseen, and so he had become confused and could not clearly think of what he wanted to say.
However— "—Indeed, under normal circumstances I would have acted as you had imagined."
Huh? Ainz was slightly confused. He struggled to piece some words together and threw them out as appropriate. Even so, the two of them continued nodding vigorously, and Ainz found that a little odd. He continued speaking, desperately hoping for a last second save.
"However, yes, however. This time was slightly different. I did not do this because I was planning something." Having found a way to amend his words, Ainz delightedly continued, "This time round, I was deliberately introducing a flaw into the plan."
"What would be the reason for that, Ainz-sama?"
Ainz slowly leaned on the back of the chair with a Hmm. Then he adopted a well-practiced posture, a grand one that was befitting of a ruler, which a master ought to have, and then spoke.
"Demiurge. Albedo. The two of you are more intelligent than me."
"That—"
Ainz held up his hand to stop the two of them from speaking.
"I am just saying that this is how I feel. In that case, what would happen if something unexpected occurred during parts of the event described in your plan? If everything proceeded as you outlined, then everything would have been perfect and ended in excellent form."
That said, your plan was really over the top, Ainz grumbled in his heart. I felt I was sure to fail given how you threw everything in your operation outline at me.
"Therefore, a question suddenly came to mind, Demiurge. A perfect tactical mind cannot only function when everything is going on course; it must also be able to work when the situation changes dramatically or when it diverges from your expectations. That is to say, I wanted to know if your adaptability was also as laudable."
"I see, so that's it!"
Eh—?! He already got it?! And he sounds like he understands it all too!
Ainz resisted the urge to make a jab about Demiurge's preternatural processing speed, something along the lines of, You're already so smart, why do you think I'm smarter? Are you bullying me?!
"As expected of, ah… you're as impressive as I expected, Demiurge."
"Thank you very much, Ainz-sama."
"Still, I, ah, apologize, though it feels like I was testing you…"
"Certainly not, Ainz-sama. To me, the fact that you would wish to assess my abilities is an honor that knows no equal. I will assuredly return results that match your expectations, Ainz-sama!"
"Umu. I'll leave that to you, Demiurge. In that case, during the course of our activities in the Holy Kingdom, I will cause problems as needed and you will amend the plan in response. Will that be alright?"
"Yes! I understand!"
All right—! Ainz rejoiced within his heart. He was so happy that the emotion was suppressed.
Even so, excitement still remained inside him.
Good, good, good. This way, even if I screw up, I can say that I was doing it on purpose! No, of course, I need to try not to screw up in the first place. If I'd known, I should have said this from the start.
While he did not have the bad habit of gloating when a subordinate's plan went awry, it was possible that he might accidentally do something to make them worry. In this way, they would not have to guess if he had some intention in mind, but instead move on to revising the plan as needed. Ainz felt the sense of bliss which came with taking a heavy weight off his shoulders.
"…Your servant understands your concerns, Ainz-sama. So does that mean that you will be simultaneously assessing the abilities of each Floor and Area Guardian as well?"
As he heard Albedo's question, Ainz was briefly puzzled for a moment and thought, What's she saying? However—
"There's no need to do so right now. I am doing so for Demiurge because he must work outside Nazarick for extended periods. As for the others, I will test them when it becomes necessary."
"I see…"
"Umu. Now, for the next topic… the initial plan was to take those people of the Holy King who were enthralled with me and proceed to the eastern part of the Holy Kingdom, to the Abelion Hills where the demi-humans lived. However,I am going to amend this part of the plan. I will go there first. From there, spread the news of my death."
It felt like time had stopped for a moment. And then—
"—Eh? What are you saying, Ainz-sama?! How could we announce the death of the Supreme One, Ainz-sama?!"
That protest came from Albedo. This might have been the first time he had seen Albedo's expression crumble in this way. At least, that was how the look on her face made him feel. But before Ainz could explain his true intentions to Albedo, it was Demiurge's turn to speak up.
"Albedo. Since Ainz-sama has stated this, he must have some wonderful aim in mind. Do you not think rejecting it on an emotional basis is inappropriate?"
"Demiurge. I question where your calm comes from. Would you react in this way if Ulbert Alain Odle …-sama were to say the same thing? Or…?"
"Fufu… Albedo. Could you tell me what you mean by that? Or do you mean that you have something to say to me afterwards?"
The two Guardians glared at each other, one with a freezing-cold gaze, the other with boiling-hot eyes, and a strange atmosphere began to brew between the two of them. This choking sensation was much like what had happened when Ainz had been fighting Shalltear. Perhaps it was due to fear or tension, but even Lupusregina was starting to pant heavily.
"—ENOUGH!"
The dangerous mood in the air instantly vanished as Ainz shouted. The sudden change made Ainz wonder if he had been mistaken about what had happened just now. However, Lupusregina's labored breathing proved that it had not been an illusion.
"Calm down, both of you. This is the reason why I must fake my death. There are activities called disaster drills. We must mentally prepare ourselves and plan ahead of time in case of an emergency. In that case, what would you do if I died? I'll start with you, Albedo. Tell me what you have in mind."
"Yes! I would immediately subject the person who dared disrespect you to all the suffering in this world, and resurrect you, Ainz-sama!"
"I see. Your turn, Demiurge."
"Yes! While preparing for your resurrection, I would strengthen Nazarick's defenses and then obtain information on the person who offended you."
Albedo glared at Demiurge out of the corner of her eye.
"Merely gathering information on them is too lenient. Regardless of who dares offend the Supreme One, they must be captured with all the strength Nazarick can bring to bear and then tormented to the point where their ego breaks down."
"Albedo, I feel what you say is very sensible. However, the enemy is someone who can kill Ainz-sama. Thus, we cannot be careless. Learning the enemy's movements and strengths is vital. If the enemy is stronger than we can imagine, then the place in which we resurrect Ainz-sama will become very important."
Before Albedo's expression could turn even more grim, Ainz rapped his staff on the floorboards. The hard impact was like splashing a bucket of ice water on the two of them, and their faces immediately regained their calm.
"I did not specify that I was killed by someone. If things go badly… it is not impossible that I might end up dying naturally from some unforeseen circumstances."
In truth, he could not think of any natural cause from which he could die, which was why he was using such vague terms.
"However, it would seem that even the two people that I consider the most intelligent of all have differing opinions. That distresses me. That is why we must undertake this training, so that there will be no problems if this imagined scenario comes to pass."
The two of them bowed their heads.
"Of course, I am not the only one who could suffer that fate. Demiurge, as Nazarick's defensive commander during a time of attack, if an unexpected situation occurs and you are struck down, could Nazarick continue functioning normally?"
"Yes! I have made thorough preparations in that respect. I recall submitting a report on that to you in the past, Ainz-sama."
Eh, did I receive something like that? Ainz decided that it would be better to trust Demiurge's memory than his own.
"Umu. Still, that is only on paper, is it not? The reason I am asking is because I would like to know if you have tested to see if it truly works out."
"I sincerely apologize! I have not done so!"
Demiurge bowed his head, his face a mask of deepest regret as his voice trembled.
"My, my deepest apologies, Ainz-sama! Signing off on the document without making that suggestion was foolishness on my part!"
Albedo had the same look on her face as Demiurge as she bowed her head.
Ainz was filled with a tremendous sense of guilt. Whose fault was it? The answer was that it was his own. If he had been more reliable, the two of them would not need to apologize like this. Was he not a scummy boss?
"—There is no need for you two to apologize. It was my fault for not properly explaining matters to you. I was the one who should have noticed that no test had occurred. The mistake is mine." Ainz bowed his head until his forehead touched the desk. "All this was due to my unworthiness, and I seek everyone's forgiveness."
"What?! Ainz-sama!"
"Please, please do not do that!"
The two of them hurriedly tried to stop Ainz. However, Ainz did not raise his head. He was too ashamed to show them his face, because he knew that he was so shallow that he could not even come clean when apologizing.
"Lu-Lupusregina! Hurry and raise Ainz's head!"
"Eh! Me? Please, please forgive me, I can't possibly raise Ainz-sama's head by force!"
"Please, please raise your head!" they all said in unison. It was only after the three of them — Demiurge in particular — started looking especially flustered that Ainz hurriedly looked up. After that, he heard sighs of relief from the three of them.
"…I am grateful that you have accepted my apology. Now then, when I reach the Abelion Hills, we will use my death as the basis for an exercise. Yes. Since this is a rare opportunity, why don't we conduct other exercises as well? For instance, if Demiurge and I were killed off by someone, that sort of thing…"
At this point, Ainz began to feel uneasy about his own suggestions.
"That said, even I have not fully planned out the details when it comes to this training. Therefore, if you have come up with a better plan, go ahead and carry it out. Ahh, no need to ask my permission. After all, this is an exercise founded on the premise that I am dead."
The two of them smiled bitterly.
"Ainz-sama, having to consider you dead from the start of the exercise's planning phase is a little…"
"It is as Demiurge says, Ainz-sama."
Hahahaha, the laughter of three people rang through the cabin.
Two of them were laughing from the heart, but one was merely pretending.
"Still, you don't need to take it too seriously, you know? After all, the objective of this exercise is not to spread ill-will throughout Nazarick, like what happened with the two of you just now. However, I would like to conduct various kinds of training and accumulate knowledge in that field, so that every Guardian can become interchangeable — well, I know what I've said is pointless given your respective intellects. Do what you feel needs to be done, to whatever extent you deem fit. Can I leave that to you?"
Now that he thought about it, Suzuki Satoru had never been the type of person who had seriously carried out disaster drills, so was it really convincing when someone like that told others to do their best? That was why he could not forget to tell them to take it easy.
After seeing the two of them bow deeply to him, Ainz said, "Now then, while this is a different matter—"
Let's go, me!
The reason why he had drawn up all these flowcharts and simulated ways of talking down the two Guardians was for this aim.
"—You are to freeze all progress on the giant statue of me that is currently in planning."
"I understand. We will do as you direct."
Albedo's single sentence seemed to put an end to the entire topic.
Huh? Ainz's attitude turned from baffled to fearful as he nervously asked what was on his mind.
"…Is that alright? It was your idea, was it not, Albedo?"
"How could anyone contradict a decision that the Supreme Being has made, Ainz-sama? If you say it is white, then it will be white even though it is black. That is all."
Ainz gulped. That line of thought frightened him, and he trembled.
"…I do not like that way of thinking, Albedo. That is just like abandoning all thought, and even I will most certainly make mistakes at some point."
He was just saying "most certainly," but it felt like it had been happening all the time.
"And in that case, won't everything be over if I'm captured? The person who brainwashed Shalltear is still out there, you know? While there is no need to question each and every one of my aims, if I suggest something and you think of something, you ought to bring it up."
"I understand."
Albedo and Demiurge glanced briefly at each other through narrowed eyes.
"Then, may I ask why you wish to cease construction? Is the aim of that statue not to let the world better understand your glory, Ainz-sama?"
"Umu," Ainz laughed coldly in his heart. "My greatness is not something that can only be expressed through material objects."
He recalled that this line had received approval from Neia.
—It's perfect.
"Would it not be better to teach them with material objects? After all, fools are those who can only understand what they see before their eyes."
Albedo's words froze Ainz in place. It was just like a pitcher throwing a ball at a batter, but instead of having it being hit back at him the batter caught it instead and threw it back at full force.
"…I see. You have a point, Albedo, but—"
As Ainz thanked his voice for not trembling, he struggled to work his brain, and then gave up when nothing came to mind. While he nearly rounded his shoulders, he could not allow his image as a ruler to crumble before his subordinates.
"—No, forget it. I'm sure that Albedo can pick out at least five of the flaws I've spotted, and the merits outweigh them. In that case, there is nothing else for me to say."
"Five, five flaws? …Demiurge, I need to discuss something with you later. May I borrow your intellect for a while?"
"But, but of course. I, I expected nothing less of you, Ainz-sama, to think you would say our minds were superior… truly, you are too humble."
The two of them began to get flustered, and Albedo bowed her head deeply.
"I, I am truly sorry, Ainz-sama. While my plan to build your statue has already received your approval, please allow me to temporarily suspend construction. I sincerely apologize."
"Hm, mm. Well, it can't be helped then. Proceed, Albedo."
Ainz had merely tossed out an offhand remark, but Albedo and Demiurge seemed abnormally shaken by it. He could even hear Lupusregina whisper "amazing" from behind them.
He looked away, feeling guilty because he had once again confused the two of them by talking nonsense. However, he was glad that the plan to build the giant statue would be briefly halted.
Next, I need to do something about the four festivals with my name on it, like the Sorcerer King Grand Thanksgiving, the Sorcerer King's Birthday and so on! If the Sorcerer King Grand Thanksgiving is canceled because the statue's been canceled as well, that just leaves three of them! Besides, if these were normal festivals, I wouldn't want to stop them either!
In truth, Ainz had once nonchalantly suggested a plan for organizing festivals.
However, that had led to the formation of a strange and embarrassing festival committee. Ainz sighed long and loud in his heart, and then looked at Demiurge.
"Alright, that leaves the details which I need to discuss with Demiurge. After this, you'll have the demon you summoned, that is to say, Jaldabaoth, attack that city, right?"
"Yes. Indeed, that is so."
"Therefore… I have a couple of requests. The first concerns a personal project I am carrying out which is not going too well, for which I will need your help. Ah, don't worry, there's no need to get too flashy with it. And the second thing is, can you command that summoned demon to fight in earnest with me?"
***
Neia quietly closed the door to the Sorcerer King's room and turned on her heel. And then… her body quivered.
She lightly patted her somewhat scalding cheeks to force her face to tighten up before she completely lost her composure. One reason for that was because she knew how her relaxed face made others wary, while the other, more important reason was because it deeply embarrassed her.
Neia did not want to walk around outside with an unseemly look on her face.
She would have to meet others later, so at the very least she had to look presentable.
More to the point, Neia was the squire of the Sorcerer King, so anything disgraceful that she did would also damage the Sorcerer King's reputation.
Still, I'm only acting as his temporary squire, so it's the Holy Kingdom which would be disgraced…
However, the people who hated the Sorcerer King would not think that way.
As the saying went, one was blinded by one's hate. Or rather, it was like how those who hated swords hated swordsmiths as well.
Alright!
Neia did not want the Sorcerer King to regret the fact that she was his squire.
In other words, all Neia had to do was her job.
As Neia headed for the place where she had arranged to meet, she thought incessantly about the kindness that the Sorcerer King had shown just now.
—Is that so, is that how it is, what a shame.
She had sensed deep regret from the Sorcerer King when he said those words back then. There was no way he could have been rattling them off casually.
…His Majesty really is a kind person…
The Sorcerer King had grieved for someone from another country who had died in battle as though she had been one of his own people. Where in the world could you find a king like that? Of course, Neia did not know any other kings, so perhaps that simply reflected her dreams.
For instance, if Neia and the others had held on a little longer, they would have been saved along with Neia, and that father who had lost his child would also have survived.
Neia was not unhappy that the Sorcerer King had been late in his rescue. In the first place, she was grateful for the fact that he had come to rescue her, because he had already said that he had to conserve his mana for the battle with Jaldabaoth. In addition, she had heard some of the militiamen in Remedios's unit say that he had fought several powerful demi-humans at the west gate before he had come to rescue Neia.
The Sorcerer King had fought two demi-humans who could each kill a paladin in a single attack and another one whose strength was on par with that of the Holy Kingdom's strongest paladin.
The militiamen telling Neia all this had been hard-pressed to hide their excitement as they rattled the proceedings off like a machine gun, and they added, "We'd all have been killed if not for the Sorcerer King."
Indeed. Neia felt a surge of heat in her chest.
The Sorcerer King had gone elsewhere to help others before coming to save Neia.
While she was slightly disappointed that the Sorcerer King had not prioritized helping her, it was wrong to feel that way. The defense of the city wall was important, but it would be a far worse matter if the city gate were to fall. If the gate had been breached and the demi-humans managed to get into the city, there would have been merciless slaughters everywhere.
Anyone with any sense would have prioritized the city gate to save more lives.
People who acted according to logic were more reliable than people who were ruled by their emotions.
That's the Sorcerer King for you!
Neia thought of the strongest paladin in her country.
Just comparing the two of them is disrespecting His Majesty!
After that, the Sorcerer King had also hunted down the few demi-humans who had made it into the city, and many people had been saved as a result. In fact—
"Ohhh! If it isn't His Majesty's squire-sama! Did you tell him for us?"
It would seem that Neia had reached her meeting point while she was pondering how cool the Sorcerer King had been.
In a certain sector of the city, six men gathered on a street which still smelled of the battlefield.
They addressed Neia like they had been waiting impatiently for her. In fact, they had actually been quite impatient.
"Yes, I've relayed your gratitude to His Majesty."
Several people unconsciously went on the defensive as Neia looked at them, but after hearing her words, they smiled and thanked her.
"Ah, thank you very much. It's hard to express your gratitude to the king of another nation. No, it's hard enough just to thank the Holy Queen-sama."
"That's true, you can't even meet her to begin with."
The people before her had ages which ranged from fourteen to forty.
However, all of them were squad leaders. Some of them had even been professional soldiers once.
Judging by their attitude, they did not feel any sense of dread toward the Sorcerer King because he was undead.
It was true that some people were still wary of the Sorcerer King because of his undead nature. In addition, people like that were more common among the smallfolk than the priests or paladins. They often said that the Sorcerer King was being kind just to betray them at the right moment, and other such things.
However, Neia felt that their reaction was because they did not understand the Sorcerer King and had simply acted out of the usual disdain for the undead.
The reason for that was the group of people before her. There were many people who had changed their way of thinking once they got to know the Sorcerer King.
"No, please don't worry about it. I simply conveyed your gratitude to His Majesty. Ah, yes, His Majesty said that your thanks made him very happy."
There were bashful looks on the representatives from the militiamen.
"No, we're the ones who should be happy… oh, what should we do…"
.
"That's right, His Majesty really is compassionate. I'm embarrassed by how we used to fear him because he was undead."
"His Majesty is truly a kind person. However, I hope you will not expect such good fortune to happen again and again. After all, His Majesty did say that he had used a great deal of mana in this battle, and he would not be able to help you again next time."
The group's faces immediately sobered up.
"So we might not have His Majesty's help next time… this is bad."
"A lot of people will be afraid if they know they can't rely on His Majesty to help them, my team especially."
"It's not just your guys. It's the same on my side too… we can't tell them about this."
Neia quietly addressed the shaken group.
"Everyone, I have come to understand one thing. That is: weakness itself is a sin."
As puzzled looks appeared on their faces, Neia slowly explained herself.
"Do you get it? If we were strong enough, things would not have gotten to where they are now. We could have saved our parents, our children, our wives, our friends, we could have saved all of them with our own hands. The Sorcerer King once said that we are the ones who place the most value on the things which are important to us. After all, His Majesty is not the king of this country, and he simply came to assist us for a special reason."
Neia took a breath.
Neia raised her voice, so the people watching her and the people of the Holy Kingdom passing by would hear her words.
"…When the Sorcerer King defeats Jaldabaoth and returns to his own country, what will we do when the demi-humans attack again? Will we cry and beg the Sorcerer King, the king of another country, for help once more? For all we know, the Sorcerer King might not help us next time. That's because this time was an exception. Have you ever heard of a country's king working so hard for another nation?"
Nobody answered Neia, because such a thing was nowhere to be found.
"Maybe you don't feel happy that a girl like me is telling you this. But who can protect the things that are important to you other than yourselves? That's why I want to become stronger. When I become stronger, I can protect myself and I won't need to borrow the Sorcerer King's strength."
"Yes, you're right. Exactly. I'll train myself too."
"Ah, me too. Next time, I'll be the one to protect my wife and kids."
"…I'll do that too. I didn't want to when I was first conscripted… but now I feel glad that I was drafted."
"Still, the Sorcerer King does make a lot of sense. Valuing the things important to us… mm, when you think about it, that really is true."
"So if someone else values my wife the most highly, I have to kill him, then?"
"…I, I don't think so, right? I don't think the Sorcerer King was talking about something like that, right?"
"…Hey, I'm just kidding, you know?"
"It didn't sound like a joke…"
As the crowd laughed, Neia made a suggestion.
"Everyone, would you like to train with me? While I can't teach you all swordsmanship, I know a thing or two about archery."
Weakness was a sin. That was because the weak only created problems for the Sorcerer King, who was justice. In that case, all they had to do was become strong. She could not allow herself to cause trouble for the Sorcerer King next time. She had to allow His Majesty to focus on fighting Jaldabaoth. That was what she ought to do, as a squire.
"Ah, that's a good idea."
"We need to become strong. I'll protect them next time."
"—Why are you all gathering here? Are you discussing something?"
"Ah — Captain."
After being questioned out of nowhere, Neia looked back and saw Remedios Custodio standing behind her. In fact, Neia had heard footsteps approaching, but she had not thought that it would be Remedios.
Here comes trouble, Neia thought as she tried to keep her face from revealing how she felt. The representatives, on the other hand, were visibly uncomfortable.
"Can you answer my question?"
"Yes, ma'am! I was telling these gentlemen that I had conveyed their gratitude to His Majesty."
"To him, you say?"
"…It is hardly appropriate to address the king of another nation as 'him.'"
Remedios glared at Neia.
"The strong protecting the weak is common sense, is it not?"
"…I do not know if it is common sense, but I feel that only the strong are qualified to say such things, and not the weak."
"What?! Are you saying that I'm weak?"
"Yes," Neia replied without any delay. "Compared to His Majesty, you are weak… Captain, have I said something wrong?"
Remedios glared at Neia, and Neia stared back forcefully at Remedios.
"Hmph, it doesn't matter if you want to be friends with the Sorcerer King, but he's undead, you know that, right? A monster who inhabits a different world from the living."
"Yes, I know that."
"I said that because I was worried about you. It seems my concern was wasted."
Remedios looked disappointed, but it felt very fake to Neia. That was definitely not what the paladin before her really thought.
"I'm certain you must be busy with many things, Captain, and I would not dare take up your time. In addition, I have things to tell the others. Would it not be better for yourself to move on to the other places you have to be, Captain? "
"…Very well then. You lot, it's only natural for the Sorcerer King to help you. You don't need to think too much about it, you know?"
After saying that, Remedios left. As they watched her go, someone quietly spoke up.
"How should I say this… that was amazing… is that the strongest paladin of this country…"
"Yes, that's what she is."
After hearing the representative speak his mind, Neia unconsciously replied to him. After that, the representatives covered their faces with their hands. It would seem they had suffered quite a shock.
Although Neia had not done anything wrong, she still felt a little guilty.
"The, the paladins aren't, aren't all like that. How shall I put it… she's a little special. That's… how she is. Yes."
"It must be hard for you, Squire-sama… if you can drink, I'd like to buy you one."
"I appreciate your intentions… uh, where was I again? Yes, training together. I can find a way to borrow a place and equipment. Can I contact you later once everything's ready?"
"We'll let you handle that,"
"Alright, we'll wait," the men cheerily answered.
-x-X-x-
Neia drew her bowstring back in one smooth motion.
She turned her keen gaze to the target, and she could see the silent white wisps of her exhaled breath drawn to the edges of her vision by the wind, where it disappeared. Spring was close, but it was still cold.
Neia buried the random notions in her mind deep within her, staring at the target in a state of no thought, and then she slowly drew herself back.
During the defense of the city, Neia had come to understand that nobody had time to slowly take aim on the battlefield, but right now they were training to improve their accuracy, so quick-fire drills could be left for another time.
And then — she released her arrow.
The arrow whistled as it tore through the air. It flew in a straight line and hit the target dead center.
Hoo, Neia exhaled.
Of the ten arrows she had fired, not a single one had been off target.
This was an outstanding accuracy rate, but Neia took no joy in it.
She could not do it in the past, but right now, Neia could even split the arrow she had just launched. Of course, she would damage the arrow if she did that, so she did not.
The reason why she had ended up like this, why she could do something that was previously impossible for her was because after that battle, she was not just capable of archery, but of harnessing what they called divine power. However, the strange thing was that it was slightly different from the abilities that paladins were said to possess. This was because normally, paladins could only channel their powers through melee weapons, while she could imbue ranged weapons with her powers.
While she did not quite understand what that meant, the Sorcerer King had seemed quite interested when he had heard about this. Still, even the Sorcerer King had only said, "It's hard to tell from just that, let me know if other abilities awaken."
Applause rang out, and Neia smiled bitterly, because she felt uncomfortable.
"Wow, you're amazing, Baraja-chan."
"Oh yes, it's the first time I've seen anyone who was so good with a bow. Nobody in my village could do that."
"Ahh, it's true. I used to be a hunter by trade, and I knew a few people in my own right, but none of them had Baraja-chan's skills."
The people praising Neia were the same ones sweating and training with her at the archery range. Many of their faces had not been seen on these streets during the defense of the city three weeks ago.
The reason for that was because people had been rescued from the nearby prison camps, and the city's population rose swiftly as a result. Those with a knack for archery or who had used bows before were drafted into archery units and placed under Neia's command.
Normally, people would balk at being made subordinate to a squire girl, especially if some of them were old enough to be her father. However, none of the men — and women — gathered here protested.
The main reason was because nobody dared voice any objections after being subjected to her vicious gaze, and also because they had to acknowledge her skill with the bow. Some of them were even more grateful to Neia after learning that she was the Sorcerer King's squire.
There were also some who were afraid she was undead because they had heard that she was the Sorcerer King's squire, but not everyone was like that.
In these three weeks, the paladins had been sent out to liberate prison camps, but at the same time, the Sorcerer King and Neia had also gone out to attack camps and rescue prisoners.
When the Sorcerer King had first broached the subject, there had been a shocking number of objections. However, the Sorcerer King then said, "Now that the Demi-human Alliance is short on manpower, they will start to execute the captives if they judge that they lack the ability to run the prison camps, so they must be rescued without delay "
And that had convinced Caspond to accept the Sorcerer King's suggestion and send the two of them out.
Neia had originally wanted to argue that the Sorcerer King ought to conserve his mana in order to battle Jaldabaoth. However, Neia admired how he acted to protect the people of another country and felt the justice emanating from him, so she could not bring herself to stop him.
And so, Neia and the Sorcerer King had freed many captives and brought them to this city. For this reason, there were people who were happy to serve under Neia.
"Ahhh~ I ought to learn a few things from Baraja-chan."
"Yeah, that's right. She's amazing. Also, that bow you borrowed from the Sorcerer King — the Ultimate Shooting Star Super — you can do even more amazing things with that bow, right?"
"The Ultimate Shooting Star Super, huh. What an amazing bow…"
All their eyes went to the bow stowed behind Neia's back — the Ultimate Shooting Star Super.
She ought to have used it during her training, but she had avoided doing so because she did not want to rely too heavily on her weapon.
"Yes, during the battle for the city walls, it was thanks to the Ultimate Shooting Star Super that I was able to survive until His Majesty arrived… no, that's not it. It wasn't just the Ultimate Shooting Star Super, but the armor I borrowed from His Majesty and all his other items that helped me too…"
Neia caressed Grand King Buser's armor.
"This armor came from a renowned demi-human, it looks amazing to me no matter how many times I look at it…"
"I was allowed to touch it once, its hardness is amazing. I chopped at it with a sword and it just bounced off."
"Seriously? I've never heard that before."
As Neia's war gear became a hot topic, she clapped to get everyone's attention.
"Alright, enough chitchat, back to training. According to the Sorcerer King, Jaldabaoth's preparing to make another move soon, so we can't waste a single moment. There was a chorus of acknowledgments. "
"Alright, it's time to begin practical shooting. Let's start, everyone."
As she watched her subordinates — the word made her feel like a big shot, and it embarrassed her a little — disperse, Neia removed the item which covered half her face. It was an item she had borrowed from the Sorcerer King.
This magic item was a visor-shaped set of mirrorshades that allowed her to use a special ability known as the [Serpent Shot] once every three minutes. It was a technique that allowed an arrow to twist and turn in front of one's opponent, pouncing them like an animal bringing down its prey.
She was not too sure what it did because she had not fired it at anyone, but in all likelihood, one would need to be very agile to avoid it.
It was a very handy item for someone like Neia, who used the bow as her main weapon, but more importantly, the fact that it hid her eyes was amazing. Or rather, without that item, she could not have gotten along so well with the others.
Neia put her visor on once more, and took up her bow again.
Everyone here was experienced, and now that time was tight, she did not need to instruct them on the finer points of finger positioning. She had touched briefly on how to fire quickly, and after that all that was needed was to give them individual coaching and have them practice until their fingers ached. The most important thing for them was to accumulate shooting experience.
As usual, Neia wondered about requesting healing magic from the priests as she loosed an arrow.
Just at that moment, Neia's keen ears picked up a noise.
It had come from the outside. While Neia's shooting form nearly broke down, she managed to keep it together. It might not have been what she expected, and even if it was the person she had hoped to meet, they might have only been passing by, and not intended to come here.
However, the being that appeared at the door to the training yard was the great king with the skeletal face — the Sorcerer King.
In the beginning, everyone had feared the undead, but many of them had been rescued by the Sorcerer King during the defense of the city and from the prison camps. The clamor of respectful and thankful voices soon came to herald the arrival of the Sorcerer King.
However, nobody stopped practicing. Normally, they would have knelt before the Sorcerer King when he appeared, but the Sorcerer King himself had put a stop to it.
This isn't a public place, so you don't need to do that when I'm just looking in on you, am I wrong?
No king, especially one who was a nation-saving hero, should have been treated that way.
Even so, the Sorcerer King had said that they did not need to do so.
What an amazing person he is…
After sighing in awe, Neia went to the Sorcerer King's side, and tightly shut her open mouth.
She kept her visor on.
The Sorcerer King had said that she did not need to take it off, since she ought to be ready to fight at any time.
He was probably concerned about whether she could use a magic item like it was part of her own body and thinking that she ought to be on guard no matter what unexpected things happened. Neia was deeply impressed by the depth of the Sorcerer King's considerations.
Neia understood that the Sorcerer King's eyes had gone from looking into his hands to herself as she ran over. For some reason, observing the Sorcerer King's habitual movements made Neia a little happy.
The thought that she understood the tiny quirks of an extraordinary individual made Neia's cheeks relax.
"Your Majesty! We are grateful that you have chosen to visit a place like this in person!"
Neia was still the Sorcerer King's squire, even after being appointed the commander of the archery unit. That said, it was hard to say that she had done a squire's job properly when she had left his side to train others in archery, not to mention she had even made him come here instead.
Neia wanted to prioritize her work as the Sorcerer King's squire, but instead she had chosen to do this, because she no longer wanted to be a burden to him.
And there was also another reason, which she had not told anyone else.
That was because the Sorcerer King refused to have anyone except Neia serve as his follower. He had said that to Caspond's face with Neia in attendance.
The number of people here was steadily increasing. There were many more skillful or charming people than this mad-eyed maiden. Even so, he had said that Neia would be fine. The person she viewed as justice had said that about her.
Could anything have made her happier?
"—Umu. While I know you're being humble, I don't think this is a mere 'place like this.' After all, it is where you sharpen your fangs, is it not?"
"Th-Thank you very much, Your Majesty!"
She looked around — perhaps it would be disrespectful to look away from the Sorcerer King, but the visor she wore made it possible — and saw that her people had heard it and the tips of their ears were turning red. The problem was that their performance deteriorated, possibly because they were nervous, or because they had stiffened up their shoulders in order to look good for the Sorcerer King.
That said, her own ears felt a little hot too.
"…Miss Baraja. Your men have made a great deal of progress since last time. Surely that must be due to your hard work as their leader."
His pleasantries both embarrassed Neia and left her at a loss for how to answer.
It would be embarrassing to say that they got nervous and can't show their full ability because Your Majesty arrived. They would think so too.
Therefore, Neia decided to take his words as they were given. However—
"No, it's nothing of the sort. I hardly taught them anything. They could have done that by themselves."
"Is that so? Well, if you say so, then it must be true."
In other words — the Sorcerer King did not think so. Which meant that the Sorcerer King thought very highly of Neia.
Neia raised her voice a little to try and hide her desire to skip in delight.
"In, in that case, Your Majesty, does your presence here mean that the meetings are over?"
"Ah, yes. They're done for the day, but that said, I did not make any special suggestions."
Right now, this city had a mountain of problems, all of which stemmed from the increasing population. The small city of Lloyds had originally been home to less than 20,000 people, but after gathering the people from the liberated camps, there were more than 150,000 people here now.
The most recent of these overpopulation problems was the slimes used in the sewers — the Sanitary Slimes — whose own population had surged due to an abundance in food and had thus caused a panic when they erupted from the waterways.
When the slime population grew, they were typically burned back down with magic items, but the unexpectedly rapid growth meant that this was not done in time and several men and women had been attacked.
When these men and women were surrounded by the slimes, a group of rubbish-clearing monsters called the Filth Eaters appeared from the sewers to help them.
Unlike how they appeared, the Filth Eaters were intelligent monsters, and they knew that humans could produce a great deal of their food, and so they saved the people with their acid-resistant bodies.
However, the people were not grateful to the Filth Eaters. That was because Sanitary Slimes were not infectious themselves, but the Filth Eaters who helped them were masses of disease. Thus, the people they had helped had fallen ill and were in a very bad state, particularly those who had contracted encephalitis.
In addition, it was winter now, so firewood and other fuels were scarce. Then there was the fact that there had been delays in the construction of housing.
While there was no food shortage yet, that would become a danger in the future.
The Sorcerer King had been invited to many of the meetings to deal with these problems, possibly because they were counting on his prodigious knowledge to solve their problems.
While the Sorcerer King had simply said that he did not know that much and had merely sat aside to listen, such a person could not have been summoned to meetings time and time again.
The fact that he conducted himself so humbly despite being the king of a nation only deepened Neia's respect for him.
"What do you intend to do next, Your Majesty?"
"Umu. I had intended to see if the transportation of logs was going well… Are you busy with practice, Miss Baraja? If you don't mind, would you like to accompany me?"
In order to solve the lack of fuel and housing, they were using the Sorcerer King's undead horses to transport logs from a distant forest. Initially, many people had been averse to using undead horses for transport, but now there was a steady stream of praise for the merits of these undead horses.
"No, please allow me to go with you! I am Your Majesty's Squire, after all!"
The knowledge that she would be able to perform her squirely duties at long last and her delight at being alone with the Sorcerer King caused Neia to unconsciously speak faster and louder.
As a result, Neia's ears burned.
"Is, is that so? Then let us proceed."
"Yes! Please—"
Then, as though to interrupt her, a sky-scorching inferno erupted in the distance.
For a moment, Neia wondered what was burning.
But that was wrong. She had been too far off. That could not have been caused by any form of natural combustion.
That fire seemed to be enveloping the city. In other words, it was a wall of fire
― Neia's mind immediately recalled what the members of Blue Rose had said.
"...Your Majesty! That's—"
"Ah, it is as you are thinking, and the same as what I heard from Momon… the time has come at last. It's Jaldabaoth. He's attacking at last. Miss Baraja, I'm heading out."
Had he anticipated this series of events? As though influenced by the Sorcerer
King's calm attitude, Neia's heart calmed down as well. Or no, it would be better to say that the presence of a supreme being like the Sorcerer King gave her peace of mind.
"Where to?!"
"Ah ― hm. Jaldabaoth's aim is still unclear. So, ah ― he might just be here to slaughter indiscriminately. However, if he has an objective, he'll either be targeting me or the Holy Kingdom's leadership, so it would be best if we met up. Tell your men to get ready for battle and then have them flee to a safe place."
"Eh?!"
"They'll be of no use against Jaldabaoth. In that case, it would be better to have them prepare to deal with any demons which might appear. Since the city will probably be in chaos now, once you form up your unit, won't it be better to have them head outside the city?"
While his words had been unclear at first, perhaps he had organized his thoughts later on, because the middle part onwards was a nonstop series of instructions to Neia.
"Yes! Thank you very much, Your Majesty! Alright, everyone!"
While they had made plans in case Jaldabaoth led an army against them, they had not expected a blaze to surround the entire city. Another big problem was the fact that they did not know the extent of the preparations that the enemy had made.
Neia gave her instructions. There was only a single squad here and they could not do as they pleased, but as a team leader, she had a responsibility to do several things before her orders came.
The instructions went roughly like this:
Everyone in the squad was to take their families and head to the east gate, because if the enemy attacked, it was more likely that they would attack from the west gate. After that, they would form up at the east gate, and if there were demons outside the east gate, they would climb the walls near the east gate and attack them. In addition, they were to listen to Neia's adjutant until she arrived and adapt to changes in the battlefield conditions.
.