37 Chapter 37

The time to meet her God had come once again. More precisely, it would be the first time she would speak with Emperor Ainz as her God and with her being the Emperor's most devoted follower. The familiar sense of inadequacy slowly rose within her, but this time she was determined to not let it rule over her emotions.

She walked towards the meeting room in Nazarick's imperial castle at a quick pace. For her to be late would be unforgivable. The dutiful apostle had spent extensive time understanding how to navigate the immense building in a fast and efficient manner, letting her arrive on time. The undead guard recognized her, opening the doors immediately.

There her God sat and waited for her. Neia dropped to one knee and lowered her head.

"Good morning, Neia. Please rise; it is good to see you once again."

After a moment of hesitation, she slowly stood up and said,

"Emperor Ainz, thank you for blessing me with your presence."

"You are the one who will spread my name throughout the world, it is only natural that I speak with you from time to time," Ainz said as he motioned for her to sit on the sofa opposite to him.

Neia remained standing. She, a mere mortal, couldn't sit down in front of a God.

"Please sit down. You wouldn't want to deny my humble request, would you?"

The phrase worked like a charm and his apostle timidly sat down. With most of Nazarick being the same, he had already worked out how to make them comply, and Neia was no different.

Neia, on the other hand, was sweating bullets. She felt undeserving of sitting down and at the same time felt that she would insult her master if she refused more than once. A maid had shown up out of nowhere and, with a graceful movement, put down a cup of tea and a plate with snacks in front of her.

'Shizu!'

Of course, it made sense that a battle maid would be the one serving a God. Neia had heard before from Shizu that serving as the maid to the Supreme Ones was the highest honor she could receive. Somehow it felt intentional that the battle maid she befriended, and served under for a while, was the one present.

Neia carefully picked up the very expensive-looking cup and held it mainly to hide her nervousness but also to not be directly asked to take it. If the Emperor wanted her to act more casually around him, then she could at least try it.

"How were you meeting with other apostles?"

"I-t was great, your highness. W-we agreed on the plan of action."

"That's good to hear. I hope they didn't give you too much trouble. From what I have heard from my friends, they can be a handful."

"No, not at all, I was welcomed."

Ainz took his own cup of tea and took a sip from it as Neia stared, fascinated, at the tea just disappearing near his mouth. Unlike their previous meeting, he knew a lot more about the girl sitting opposite him.

Not only from Eleleth's reports, who, according to Ulbert, was the one to mastermind Neia's ascension into an apostle, but also from a few titbits from Shizu and Ulbert's own report. The girl was somewhat forced into her current position, but mainly because she still felt undeserving of it. He could sympathize with her in that regard, remembering that he was more or less pushed into the leader's position as well. But there was no running from it and he, same as her, just had to embrace it.

There were also some doubts about Eleleth's motives, but she herself assured him she held absolute loyalty to him. There wasn't a particular reason to not believe her, since all her actions had benefited him and also he was her summoner. For her to betray him was unthinkable. Sure, she had her secrets, but they seemed to stem from her previous path that was far from the angelic one. There was this underlying curiosity about what one of his top servants really was, but he was not planning to press the matter and force her to confess.

"You have been in my service for a while, so I am curious. Does anyone await your return home?"

At first, she didn't know how to answer it. Who was waiting for her? Clearly not the Queen, as she already gave her away as a servant. Her parents? Did they even know she was away?

"I'm not sure if anyone in particular waits for my return. I have parents, but they don't know about my mission."

"Wouldn't your parents want to know how their daughter is doing?"

"I guess…" Neia said, thinking about the question. Her mother mostly cared about being a paladin and a hero and would not like the path she has chosen. But she was still her mother, and she deserved to know. As for her father, he always supported her, no matter what.

"Neia, please do not think you have to spend every waking moment just spreading the religion of the new Gods. You have the right to visit your parents and you have the right to your own time."

"T-thank you, your Imperial Majesty."

"Of course, I wouldn't want something to happen to you in Roble, as I am aware how you might be perceived there," Ainz said and waved his hand over her. She felt lines being drawn on her upper back.

"My blessing will let you call some of my servants to aid you if the need arises. That being said, I expect you to represent me with dignity when you visit your motherland."

"I-I will. You can count on me, Emperor Ainz."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Ainz leaned back on the sofa and took another sip of tea. The girl wasn't relaxing around him one bit, but that was expected. Maybe over time, she will ease up, but there was little hope in that. He was a God, and each day he found himself more and more falling into that role. For him, Neia was just a mortal who served him. He, of course, preferred to take good care of his servants, but she was just that: a servant.

Only his friends treated him more or less like equal and they too stepped closer to true godhood each day. Even the two newcomers would start to feel it soon enough.

"There is another thing I wanted to ask of you. But think of it more like doing a favor to me, not an order." Ainz started as Neia perked up, but before she could respond, he went on, "My two friends just accepted their roles as new Gods, and thus there is no one speaking for them. I would like for you to meet them and become their temporary apostle until they get their own ones."

Neia looked up at her God with her hands shaking. She would have to represent three Gods!? But there was no denying a request. If that was her God's will, she would carry it out.

"O-of course. I-I will carry out your will, Emperor Ainz."

"Shizu will guide you to them. The first is one Blue Planet, the God of Nature, and the second one is Ankoro, the Goddess of Compassion and Protection."

"Thank you, Emperor Ainz. Before I go, I wanted to relay a proposition."

"Of course, go on."

"Nfirea proposed to use the Adventurers' guild and other official institutions to call for new recruits who would wish to join the sect of each God."

"Wonderful idea. You have my full support to do so. I will relay an order for my administration to assist you whenever there is a need."

With the Emperor's permission granted and Shizu as a guide, Neia said goodbye and left.

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According to Shizu, her next destination was a small elven village near the capital. As Neia quickly found out, one of the abilities the Emperor's blessing gave was teleportation. Apparently, Shizu received hers before Neia met with Emperor Ainz, letting both of them teleport to their destination, avoiding the lengthy travel time.

Not wanting to make another bad first impression, she chose not to activate the all-seeing eyes' ability and looked around. The village looked recently built and not lived in yet. The first few elves that saw her practically ran inside their homes. Even from the first glance of their somewhat malnourished look, it was clear they were recent rescues and no doubt feared humans.

Even though the practice of slavery wasn't widespread in her home country, the sentiment of 'lesser races' being no better than animals was still prevalent. She too once believed it, but meeting different races and interacting with them quickly changed her mind. Of course, not everyone was equal, but there was little to no difference between humans, dwarves, and elves intelligence-wise.

Confused as to where to go, Neia looked around. From the first glance it looked just like a regular village but there was one noticeable difference. There were green trees growing near every house. Even though she hadn't seen the evergreen trees with green needles instead of leaves in Roble, some could be found in Re-Estize.

The village itself was rather green for the winter. Even the roof's of the wooden homes were partly covered with very soft looking moss. The touch of the God of Nature could be seen everywhere.

Finally, a braver pair of elves approached her and Shizu. By the looks of it, they were likely siblings. Both had ash blonde hair and similar facial features.

As they bowed, the man spoke.

"W-welcome to our village, ladies. How can we help?"

Neia bowed back and replied,

"Thank you for welcoming us. We are looking for Lord Blue Planet."

Her gesture clearly stunned the pair, as they clearly didn't expect her to return the gesture.

"I will inform the village chief about your arrival. How should I introduce you?" the man asked.

"I am Neia Baraja, the Apostle of Life and Death."

"A-ap…" the man just stuttered and the pair ran off towards the largest building.

Neia let out a sigh. So much for a good first impression... As she and Shizu slowly approached the building, the prior pair of elves came out with an older looking elf with a sharp gaze.

"Greetings, Lady Neia. My Lord is already waiting for you." He said with a quick bow and then motioned for her to follow.

She found Lord Blue planet sitting by the table with an older-looking elven woman.

"Lord Blue Planet, Lady Neia Baraja, the Apostle of Life and Death has arrived."

"Hello there. I'm sorry I'm not yet used to all the formal greetings. Please sit down with us."

Already understanding that the offer to sit down is not to be refused; Neia quickly bowed and silently took a seat.

"I understand you are here to talk about forming a sect around me?"

"Yes, Lord Blue Planet. Emperor Ainz asked me to represent you while you have no apostle of your own."

"Ok, how does this thing even work?"

For a moment, Neia didn't know how to answer the question. Compared to the rest of the Gods, Lord Blue planet didn't give an impression of a divine being but seemed down to earth and very approachable. Even when speaking kindly, her master had this aura of majesty around him. Maybe that was the answer. The God of Nature was welcoming and humble, but fierce when needed.

"I will issue a call for those who wish to join your sect and look for a suitable candidate to be your apostle. If you wish, I can look for a specific type of person."

"Oh, I don't think I need an apostle specifically. People in this village already said they want to follow me and Earan with Saibh already act as my assistants." The elemental said, motioning at the two elves sitting at the table.

"Understood, my Lord."

"But I guess with me being a God of Nature, I could use followers of similar affinity. You know, people who deeply care for preserving what we already have before it is too late."

Before it is too late? Should she ask for more information?

Seeing the girl's confused expression, Blue Planet added,

"In the world I came from, nature was dying. Even the air itself was poisonous. I do not wish this marvelous world to follow the same fate. I will be happy enough to rally around myself with people who share the same desire."

The brief conversation had given her insight into what kind of following the God of Nature expected and she knew that elves, as a more nature attuned race, would choose Lord Blue Planet as their patron God.

With a bow, she left to visit the last God she was tasked to represent. According to Shizu, Lady Ankoro was in the Great Tomb below the imperial castle and they would have to wait for her to come up to the castle itself.

But before Neia could come up with a productive way to spend the time waiting, Shizu said,

"Lady Bukuma awaits for you in her office."

That surely was unexpected. The Goddess of War had her own apostle, but she was not about to ignore a request from a God.

It didn't take too long to find the right place, as Shizu seemingly already knew the layout of the castle by heart. Neia entered after knocking and kneeled, saying,

"Lady Bukuma, you called for me?"

"Rise Neia. Yes, I did. I wanted to talk with you before you visit my friend."

Neia slowly rose to her feet, meeting the gaze of Bukuma.

"You see, Ankoro is more reserved and is not so eager to accept her role yet." Buku said as she stood up from her chair and walked closer to Neia. Their height difference was rather noticeable and the Goddess's presence overwhelmed the apostle.

"What I am saying is, you will not push for answers to questions Ankoro is unsure how to answer."

"I understand Lady Bukuma."

"We will see. If you make her upset, we will not be on good terms from now on." Buku said, returning to her chair and then added, "She just arrived at her quarters in the castle. You can go talk with her."

'You make her upset and we will not be on good terms.' The last thing she needed was for things to become even more stressful. One wrong move and she will make one of the most powerful enemies imaginable.

But there was no delaying it. Shizu guided her to the final destination and, after knocking, both entered.

Neia kneeled and waited for the Goddess to speak.

"Um… Hi. Please stand up."

Was that uncertainty in her voice? Neia slowly rose back to her feet and looked at the Goddess of Compassion and Protection. The werewolf was sitting at a table. In front of her was a large paper sheet with crossed-out sentences and doodles at its sides.

"Oh, don't just stand there. Come, sit down. Pestonya will be here any moment with refreshments." Ankoro said, trying to sound confident, but the last words came out with a squeak.

Neia sat down and said,

"Thank you, Lady Ankoro."

"Soo…" Ankoro said, waiting for Neia to speak.

"Emperor Ainz requested me to help you gather followers, Lady Ankoro."

"I know… Sorry I tried to come up with a list…"

Neia glanced at the sheet of paper once again. The crossed-out lines were at least partly readable. She clearly tried to come up with ideas about what to request, but ended up dismissing all of them.

'Don't make her upset! Don't make her upset!' Neia's panic slowly rose. She didn't expect the Goddess to be so nervous, just like her. The best she could do was to be calm and helpful. Still, the feeling of the Goddess of War glaring at her back didn't leave.

"Maybe we can start with what type of people you would like as followers?"

"I don't know… helpful, kind…" The moment the maid arrived, Ankoro perked up and, as if to distract her interrogator, exclaimed, "Ooh, snacks are here."

A maid with a dog's head put down an enormous plate with pastries and two large glasses with some kind of sparkly drink. Ankoro eagerly grabbed a tart and ate it while drinking from a straw. For a moment, Neia just watched until Ankoro asked,

"Y-you don't like them?"

She was supposed to eat as well. Neia carefully picked a tart and tried the drink from the straw, mimicking the werewolf. For someone who was used to water or, in rare cases, a bit of wine, the sugary drink felt like syrup. Why did it have to be so sweet?

Out of politeness, Neia smiled and complemented both the tart and the drink. But only a few bites and sips later, the sugar overwhelmed her, and she needed to stop her left eye from twitching as she desperately kept up a polite smile. If she didn't know better, she would assume Lady Ankoro tried to poison her.

"Lady Ankoro, should I look for your followers among those who want to help others?" Neia said, hoping to get back to conversation.

"I guess… I'm sorry if I don't come off as godly as others. I just… This is all new to me."

That sounded like something she herself wanted to say. Each day, these sinful thoughts came back of her not being fit for the role she was given. Maybe the Gods felt the same fear about being Gods. Their responsibility was much larger than hers, after all.

"Lady Ankoro," Neia quietly started, "ever since I was entrusted with the role I have, there isn't a day I don't think there could be someone better than me taking my position."

Ankoro looked at the prime apostle, surprised. All this morning she was so stressed and was thinking of ways to not come off as a nervous mess, but Neia understood her. She wasn't sure about Momonga's long-term plans, but he surely knew how to find the right people for the right job.

"You know, if you can do it then so should I, right? I mean, it can't be that hard to at least try."

"I will do what I can to help, Lady Ankoro."

"That is nice to hear. Thank you Neia. I trust you will find the right people to help me."

The fear of messing up slowly faded. She got through her conversation with the Goddess of Compassion and didn't need to fear Lady Bukuma's wrath, at least for now.

After finishing her drink and tart, Neia said goodbye with a clear idea of how to choose followers for each God in mind. But the primary duties could wait. First, she needed to find a large amount of water to wash out the inhuman amounts of sugar she had to consume.

Ankoro watched as Neia left and then called out,

"Shizu, can you stay a bit?"

"Yes, Lady Ankoro." Shizu responded in a monotone voice, awaiting the next order.

Ankoro stood up and handed a big plush made to look like Eclair to Shizu saying,

"This is for you, but you have to promise not to harass Eclair."

Shizu grabbed the plush, squeezing it tightly and said,

"Thank you Lady Ankoro. I promise to leave assistant butler Eclair alone."

With two problems solved in one day Ankoro could return to doing things she enjoyed and at least for now didn't need to worry about her duties as god whatever they were.

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Gazef walked silently towards Renner's private quarters, with Brain walking beside him. Why did he press the matter? Why did the boy have to slip up and reveal the truth? There was a part of him that suspected Renner even before that. There was always something a bit off about her, but he would have never imagined that the truth about her was so horrible.

"Hey, are you sure we can just go and confront her?" Brain asked.

"You heard Climb, you know what she has done, and I already told you, I can go alone."

"Can't let you do it alone."

Two men continued walking in silence. Gazef's mind was in turmoil. The Golden Princess, the brightest of the royal family, was behind the downfall of Re-Estize. All he ever saw was an act put up by a monster. He wanted to believe it was her turning into the demon that changed her, but no matter how he tried to rationalize it, he knew it was not the case. Climb didn't change for the worse after all and still was the same wide-eyed boy he knew. There was a bit of maturity seeping in, but that was about it.

Gazef didn't bother to knock and just pushed the doors wide open. Renner was sitting on the sofa, waiting with an unreadable expression. He grabbed his sword,

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Renner said.

"You sold out our home! You sold out our KING! YOUR OWN FATHER!"

A smile crept onto Renner's face.

"I did. What about it?"

Gazef grabbed for his sword but felt a hand on his shoulder. Quickly turning, he saw Brain shaking his head, motioning for him to stop.

"How could you? It was your family, your kingdom."

"The kingdom was never mine! And the only thing making the king my father was that he impregnated my mother, that's it. But of course, you were too busy kissing his ass to notice what was going on."

Gazef grabbed the sword again.

"Don't even think about it^!" Renner hissed and then turned to Brain asking, "Does he speak for you too?"

"We are in this together, Renner. You lied to me, too."

"Let's get the obvious out of the way. You are in no position to threaten or kill me and even if you could, I would be resurrected or summoned back anyway. Sit down, both of you. Let's see where this goes."

When neither moved, she repeated.

"Drop your weapons and sit down^."

Predictably, both were highly resistant to her verbal control but reluctantly still followed her order.

"Now then, considering you both hold a minor worth for Nazarick, I will not send you both to the farm right away, but you are released from my service. I will even be generous to let you rant a bit, just remember who you are talking to!"

"Your father, he loved you. How could you just kill him in cold blood?" Gazef asked. The world seemed like a cruel joke at this point. The one he thought was better than the rotten nobility turned out to be the worst of them all.

"I didn't kill him. He died of natural causes. But if you want to be technical, he died because of raising his older son as a moronic brute."

Gazef just slumped down on the sofa silently. There was nothing to ask, nothing to say. He was a fool. He was just a fool, not looking at the bigger picture. There was nothing he could do, no honor of getting back. No revenge to have. No doubt if he tried to strike her down, there would not be a warrior's death for him. Renner was too smart to put herself in danger.

"So, what now?" Brain asked for both of them.

"Since neither me nor Lord Ulbert have any use of you, the other Gods could claim you. Someone will probably approach you soon. For now, you are both dismissed. And one more thing, if either of you try taking Climb away from me, you will quickly find out just how miserable I can make your lives."

"What will happen to Climb?" Gazef asked

"Not your concern."

"He is my friend, I will…"

"You will do nothing! Climb belongs to me and will belong to me for an eternity. Now get out of my sight!"

Maybe it was worth a try but then again, he knew better. If Renner felt threatened, there would be guards beside her. With no other option left, he silently walked out of Renner's quarters, followed by Brain.

"So now we just wait and see what happens next?" Brain asked. The whole interaction went a lot smoother than he had pictured it. Both he and Gazef were neither powerful nor important by Nazarick's standards. Climb clearly was a lost cause and approaching him with stupid ideas would just make the boy's life worse. The witch was holding his leash tightly and likely would not let him meet him or Gazef anymore.

"I don't know."

"I think I will go get drunk and forget it all for today. How about you? Planning on coming with me?"

"No… I… I need to think. I'm sorry Brain, for dragging you into this with me."

"Don't mention it. I'll be fine. See you later." Brain said and departed, leaving Gazef alone.

Gazef walked with no clear destination in mind. What would he do now? What purpose did his life still have? All these years his loyalty to the king was all he had had. If he ran, then to where? The only two human nations that were not under Nazarick's control were the Slane Theocracy and the Roble Holy Kingdom, but their days were likely numbered as well. Nothing could stop Nazarick from taking over.

What other option did he have To abandon all his principles and bend the knee regardless of his feelings? He hadn't felt so helpless in a long time. The title of the strongest warrior meant nothing now, not in this new world order. For all the true powers cared, he might as well still be that little boy cowering in fear from bandits and monsters, same as the other peasants.

Slowly, he returned to the room assigned to him. With most of the time spent close to Renner, he had sold his mansion in the capital of Re-Estize and was looking into buying one in Nazarick's capital. But with his assigned living space being spacious enough and even a maid to clean it, he was in no rush to look for another living space.

However, he was surprised to see a visitor waiting for him.

"Lady Bukuma!?"

"So you finally found out, huh?" Buku said, leaning back on the chair she was sitting on.

Looking back at all the choices he made, he had to ask.

"If I would have accepted the deal back then, would something have changed?"

"No, not really. Maybe you would be my apostle, but I doubt that would have happened."

"With all this power you had, you could have avoided all that happened. There were so many lives lost."

"So you are going to lecture me on moralities when your king could have used his greatest weapon, you, and set things straight himself? Or maybe you should ask why he raised his children in the way he did? Renner had all the potential in the world to become a shining beacon of justice, a true, great ruler, but we both know how she ended up and don't tell me your King isn't to blame at all."

"I'm just a fool, am I now? So why are you here, to haul me off to some cell as I am not useful anymore?"

"No, I came here to give you a chance to join the ranks of my armies. There are places where someone with your ideals is a great asset."

"Do I even have a choice?"

"Of course you have a choice. I do not need to force someone into my service. You are a good man, Gazef, but this world is not made for good men. You may think we are monsters, but I know you are not so blind that you do not see how much better life is for an average human under our rule compared to what was before."

"What happens if I refuse to serve?"

"I'll let you retire. You can find yourself a wife, settle down. Live a peaceful life wherever you like. If you choose to leave Nazarick, then your fate is your own and I will not bother to look out for you when we take over whatever place you choose."

"Can I think about it?"

"Take your time. I will ask you again after a week." Buku said, getting up from the sofa and dropping a small bag on the table, "Here, have some fun and relax for a bit."

Once she left, Gazef sat down and let out a tired sigh. He wasn't starving for money in the first place, but still the gesture was clear. She wanted to make him feel that there was at least some importance about him left. But the question of what he should do from now on still remained.

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On his own again. Brain emptied another glass with the liquid, both warming up his insides and clouding his judgment. The tavern near the imperial castle was his favorite place to wind down, but unlike previous times, his two friends were not there. The only two friends he had.

Climb likely was a lost cause and, as for Gazef, who knows what he will do. Brain did not know what the future held but there was no point going back to his old lifestyle. First, he didn't want to be a common bandit anymore and second, his career as a criminal would likely also be the first and last offense.

The barkeep, a busty, middle-aged, dwarven woman, filled his glass once again saying,

"So where did the rest of the boys go?"

"Long story."

"Not talkative today, eh?"

"I better not tell details, castle stuff."

"Oh, I see," she remarked and filled a glass for another patron.

Even in his tipsy state, Brain sensed someone watching him. Not that it mattered. If someone important wanted to get rid of him, there wasn't much he could do, but still he would at least try to land a strike. He quietly put his hand on his katana and tried to sense the observer's location.

"Someone's twitchy today. Little Renner scared you that much?" A woman's voice taunted.

Brain chose not to answer and prepared to activate 'Field' ability.

"Ah, relax. I'm not here to pick a fight." The woman said and sat down beside him.

She had a pretty face, shoulder-length blonde hair and big cat ears. Brain knew who the woman was. The infamous apostle of murder.

"So if you are not here to fight, then what?"

"Don't tell me the famous Brain Unglaus is afraid of pretty, little me?" Clementine giggled.

"Well, knowing the stories about you, shouldn't I be on edge?"

"Maybe. But my God has forbidden me from hunting prey chosen from among the citizens, so I'm your friendly kitten, Clementine, today."

Brain wasn't sure whether to believe her or not, but he also knew he likely didn't stand a chance against her. With a swift motion he took his hand off the weapon's handle and downed another glass.

"Let me guess. You are here to recruit me?"

"Maybe." Clementine said and raised her hand to get the barkeep's attention.

"So what will it be, lass?"

"Give us the bottle of this stuff. My treat."

"One moment." the barkeep said and soon enough returned with a bottle and glass for Clementine.

"So your plan is to get me drunk and then stick some kind of agreement under my nose?"

"Naah, I just wanted to share a drink with you."

"Right…"

"Fine, fine. Let's get this out of the way. Do you want to serve Lord Peros?"

"For some reason I have a feeling you wouldn't take it well if I said no."

"Well, it's your loss, really. Who else is going to take you in?"

Brain fell silent for a moment. Who else would he serve? His only other option was the Goddess of War and he would be a killer either way. Besides, he wasn't one for discipline and a military chain of command. Maybe he just had to embrace what he deep down was, a killer. One doesn't train all his life just to show off his skills in a tournament.

"Good point."

Clementine, meanwhile, pulled out the cork from the bottle and took a gulp, not bothering with a glass.

"Oh, that burns so good. So what's your answer?"

"I have nowhere else to go either way."

"To the glory of Lord Peros the God of Murder, then," Clementine said and poured a glass for Brain.

"To Lord Peros." Brain said, clinking the glass against the bottle.

He could only hope Gazef made a sensible decision. As for Climb, his fate was sealed and no one could help him anymore. At least, from what he heard from the boy, Renner treated him nicely for the most part and kept him satisfied. His own path turned back to the darker road, but maybe it was just what he was always meant to do.

Clementine turned out to be a decent drinking partner and Brain couldn't believe how well the slim woman could handle alcohol. Although he was appalled by some of her sadistic tendencies and rather graphic descriptions of torture she had performed, at the same time she was also a skilled warrior and martial artist even before she came into service of the God of Murder.

With both having the common ground to talk about, the conversation went down just as smoothly as the brandy they drank. The first bottle was replaced by the next one, then the next, until he couldn't remember what happened next.

Brain awoke with a head splitting headache and slowly got up to survey his surroundings. With a sigh of relief he realized he was in the tavern's rental room bed. His drinking partner, Clementine, slept in the next bed. She was hanging over the side with her back twisted at an impossible angle, with one leg on the pillow and the other hanging over the other side of the bed.

For a moment he was afraid she was dead, but she moved a little.

"Hey, you alive?" He asked despite tongue feeling very heavy and even hearing just his own voice sent another jolt of pain through head.

"Hrnn… don't scream." Clementine groaned and slowly slid out of bed to stand up.

Brain did the same and pulled healing potion out of his bag that was carefully put next to the bed the night before. Not the best way to use a healing potion, but he was not about to start the day in such a condition. Quickly gulping it down, he felt the headache lessen. Luckily, the hangover could be healed easily.

"Hey, you have any more?"

Brain nodded and tossed another potion to Clementine, who gulped it down just as quickly. She finally took in her surroundings and then said.

"I will go back to the castle. I need to clean myself and report to Lord Peros. You do the same. I don't want to present you before my God if you stink like an ass."

"Sure. Is he waiting for us?"

"Sort of. He didn't give me a time frame, but I have to report that you agreed to follow him. I'll be in touch."

Clementine said, and disappeared through the door. Brain picked up his bag and followed suit. After leaving a nice tip left to the barkeep, he was on the streets moments later, slowly walking back to the imperial castle. There was no particular need to hurry, but, at the same time, he needed to get himself presentable. if summons to appear before the God of Murder came sooner than expected, then he certainly didn't want to start off on the wrong foot.

Bonus Story - Her Worth.

Peros was sitting in his favorite spot in his club, watching anime and sipping beer. There was a reason for him choosing this particular one and the reason was about to arrive.

Zesshi appeared through the entrance door and timidly approached him with a letter in her hands and said,

"Lord Peros, Lady Bukuma sends a request." She handed over the letter.

Of course, he already knew there was nothing in it and it was a ruse to make Zesshi approach him.

"Thanks. Come sit down and have a drink."

"Thank you, b-but I should go."

"You know your mom would not let me do anything to you and the drinks are on me."

The words struck the target as, although it wasn't public knowledge, Buku had taken Zesshi in as an adopted daughter and cared for her, even though the twins clearly got preferential treatment.

She carefully sat down some distance away as the frost maid handed her a tall glass with a colorful drink and straw in it. Peros had picked a cocktail that had very little alcohol in it, just in case she was a lightweight. Zesshi's attention went to the anime right away.

Peros chose it, knowing it was based on her favorite manga and considering that, for now, there was just one another TV made and it was for Buku and the twins, then likely she had little a chance to watch anything besides what either Aura or Mare had picked.

"You like it?"

"Yes."

Her body language clearly showed how afraid and uncomfortable she was near him.

"Look Zesshi, about the things I said when we first met. Then you were an enemy, and I was furious because Shalltear got hurt."

"I understand."

"I didn't mean any of the things I said back then, and, for the record, I have made no move on you because you are a part of my family. My sister took you in, so you are my niece." Peros said and added under his breath, "and she would cut my nuts off if I tried anything."

A faint smile appeared on her face for a moment and just as quickly faded as she turned her attention back to the TV, slowly sipping her drink. She sat watching anime, fascinated by the magic that could make manga move. She had seen other ones before, while watching with Aura, but it was always what Aura wanted to watch, not Zesshi..

Soon enough, she realized that there was an uncomfortable silence. Should she say something? Lord Peros called her family and told her he didn't mean all those words that still hurt. It was all back then, when he was an enemy and an invader that she had to stop. Those times felt ancient by now…

"We don't have to talk if you don't want to. You can just enjoy your drink and watch, I don't mind." Peros said, noticing her nervousness.

A large part of her wanted him to make a move and claim her. The envy towards Clementine and even Renner and Nfirea was hard to hide. But at the same time, he said she was his niece; she was part of the family.

Lady Bukuma had said it maybe twice, that she was part of the family, but often it didn't feel like it. She was still that outsider that didn't know her place and dreamed about things that were not true. She didn't even know how to express gratitude for the kind words that she was given. Zesshi wanted to say how much she needed to hear that the cruel things he heard during their first meeting weren't true, and she wasn't worthless, but no words came out.

Was it ok for her to just sit silently? No doubt it wasn't a coincidence that something she liked was put on screen, same as the drink she was enjoying. Lord Peros had bothered to find out those things and prepare for her.

"That day, why was I left alive?" Zesshi suddenly asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"Yes. I do."

"Well, the plan was to kill you if you pose too much threat, but when we found out you were not as dangerous as we first thought, we could let you live. Mainly because you were an elf in the country that treated elves like shit and it meant that at some point you would have enough and rebel against your handlers, effectively doing our job for us."

"If I am not a threat, why am I the only one who is not allowed to grow more powerful?" Zesshi asked. She knew about the increase in one's potential Emperor Ainz could grant. Almost everyone in Nazarick had received it at least once. But not her.

"Hmm, not sure. I mean, I could ask Ainz to increase your potential limit. It's not that you would be able to defeat a floor guardian."

"You would do that for me?"

"Yeah, sure, why not? I can't promise that Ainz will do it, but I can ask for you if you like."

"Thank You Lord Peros."

"Just call me Peros or uncle. Oh, and don't tell you mom about the cocktail. I kinda realized I didn't know if I could give you anything alcoholic."

"I am of age. Why would alcohol be a problem?"

"You know Buku, she tends to go overboard when it comes to people she cares about."

"Then it shouldn't…"

"Zesshi, she may not say it often enough, but she cares about you. I am her younger brother, so trust me on this."

Maybe she had seen things in the wrong way? Maybe her adopted mother didn't consider her just a babysitter and an assistant.

She wanted to stay longer, but she had other tasks that she already had set off just to spend time with Lord Peros, her uncle. How weird it sounded to have an uncle or a mother or a family. Maybe she was growing bold, but there was one more thing she needed to ask.

"Thank you. I should be on my way now."

"Sure thing."

"Uncle Peros, can I come visit you from time to time?"

"Of course you can. I will be the cool uncle that lets you do things your mom won't, as long as you don't report everything back to her."

"I won't, I promise."

"Smart girl. On your way then. I have things to do too as well."

Edited by Edgy and Aterro