Chapter 286

Neia saw the wolf riders nearing the border and ranging out in all directions… but notably, that border was one place they did not actually go to. They seemed unwilling to cross the river. 'The Wolf Queen has a real sense of propriety, I thought she was a woman of action, but they're minding the border like it's the Wall back home…'

This adjusted Neia's view of her fellow novice monarch, both for the better and for the worse. 'On the one hand I can trust her more, but on the other she's less reliable in the wrong situation… which I may now be in.' Neia thought and again reconsidered her decision to cross the border, she clutched the wrapped ear tighter in her fist. 'She'll go straight to the Theocracy with this, and who knows what they'll do?'

The twinge of doubt was harder to get rid of, crossing the border without the rulers of a country knowing about it or requesting their permission… 'They're bound to find out sooner or later, and even if they don't, they'll accuse me because I'm an animal who betrayed humanity for power… or so those few scouts and spies we've captured have revealed. What a narrative, it's not like 'I' started it all.'

She cursed her ill luck in success and soared onward until she saw the lights below, the sun descending on the horizon with darkness visibly racing toward her. Despite her prior worries, Neia couldn't help herself. She batted her wings as hard as she could and kept her body streamlined, minimizing wind resistance and racing the darkness toward the rising castle of the Wolf Queen.

The Queen of Frost slammed into the ground a few feet from the guards, hitting hard enough to crack the stone and descending to one knee with the force of the impact, the guards stiffened and reflexively readied their polearms until they saw who it was as Neia rose to her feet.

"I need to see the others, now." Neia turned the force of her dread inducing eyes on the pair, and after only the briefest glance the one on the right reached for the door and opened it and said to her…

"This way, My Lady."

Neia's tail lashed behind her as the darkness swept over the ground past where she'd been standing moments before, night descending on the Kingdom of Carne, she followed the guard within. It was her first glance at the interior tastes of the monarchs of the young Kingdom. 'They really like pastoral scenes.' Neia thought as she followed the rapidly walking guard, his feet were not quite at a run, but only barely below one, and it gave Neia just enough time to appreciate the difference between this place and her home.

Adorning her walls were paintings and statues of great heroes, scenes of battle and victory, but here? Farmers and open country, nothing to speak of regarding their recent war for independence. 'I'm not quite sure what I should think about that…' Neia acknowledged her own confusion as she was finally led into a single room composed of large cut stones, devoid of art, it was clearly a meeting room. However, instead of chairs, the long wooden table of very simple design had only long benches on either side of it. 'It looks like something I'd find in a peasant house.'

That at least had some appeal on practical grounds, and Neia's view of the Wolf King and Queen went up another notch.

"Please wait, I will fetch them right away." The guard muttered without raising his eyes to meet her own and he was gone before Neia could respond.

Neia's heart ached just a little at that, with her extraordinary senses as a dragonid she could feel his fear of her, feel his dislike, feel his reflexive mistrust of her. 'The same as everywhere else… as soon as I'm done, I can't go home fast enough. I miss the company of my demihumans.'

She gripped her left bicep with her right hand and looked down, 'So tired of that, it's been barely any time at all, but I don't want to get used to that feeling again.' Neia thought and forcibly ripped the thought away when her sharp ears caught the noise of approaching feet.

"You found something?" Ainz asked immediately as the curved door swung open, he ducked beneath the entrance and approached Neia who turned up her head to meet his eyes.

"This. Unfortunately. This." Neia said and tossed the torn cloth on the table. Enri, Nfirea, Renner, Albedo and Calca lined up on either side of the Allfather, and when all their eyes honed in on the cloth, Neia unwrapped it, casting aside the corners and revealing the severed elven ear.

"The cloth came from one of their banners, you can see part of the insignia there, from the Draconic Queen's coat of arms. The ear I severed from the body of one of those I found at the scene. They were attacked at night, I found bodies, lots of bodies, the whole camp was burned and destroyed and had been for a fair while. The Queen's own carriage was a ruin. My guess is some runaway elven slaves attacked, I've heard stories about runaways massacring travelers. I dismissed it as human propaganda, but…?" She shook her head, "I suppose it's true this time."

Ainz had to suppress his utter outrage, and found it to be impossible. His face twisted in anger, 'Draudillon?! The Queen who taught me how to be a King?!'

He spoke with great icy slowness, sounding out each word as if he were carving it out of stone. "Her body. Did. You. Find. It?"

"No. In fact there was only one woman's body out of them all, a maid of the Queen who I assume committed suicide." Neia almost took a step back on her heel, as did the Golden Queen, the Holy Queen and the Wolf King and Queen. The obvious wrath of the Allfather caught them off guard.

"I see. Then she might still be alive." Ainz suggested and turned to the rulers of the Kingdom of Carne. "You have a Theocracy ambassador here, do you not?"

"Y-Yes, of course. In fact I was just informed a few hours ago that one of their Cardinals arrived a few hours ago, I met him briefly, he seemed amiable." Enri answered with haste.

"I would count it a favor if you would intercede with him, explain the situation and tell him that all our nations would be grateful if he would allow a multinational force to investigate rather than relying on their own forces alone." Ainz said, and privately thought, 'I will repay the debt I owe to her, even if she doesn't know I owe it.'

"Ah, yes, of course, I can send word to him at once that I'd like an urgent meeting." The Wolf Queen stammered out.

"Then do so. I will have some of my humans brought for the effort, if she's there, she'll be found." Ainz said, and the monarchs began to file out as quickly as they'd come.

"You, Queen of Frost, Neia Baraja," Ainz said as Neia made to follow them out.

"Yes, Your Majesty?" Neia answered at the sudden drop in his previous wrath and the almost gentle way in which he spoke.

"You have done me a favor today, and taken a great risk, one day I will repay that favor." Ainz promised, and then made his exit before the Queen of Frost could reply, she only left the ear behind on the burned and bloody scrap of cloth, and made her way out as well.