163

He made to look for it — and in that moment, he was engulfed by a wave of mind-blanking pain. This was the first time Leoncio had experienced such anguish in his life.

The agony stopped him from thinking.

In the tatters of his pain-riven mind, the only coherent thought he could form was why me?

"Hm."

Someone stood atop a pile of burnt human corpses. The Evil Lord that had been given the duty of acting as Jaldabaoth surveyed the fleeing crowds.

It was a little boring.

The fiery aura was not an amazing ability. All it did was inflict fire damage on the surroundings. One could greatly reduce that damage with fire resistance spells. Of course, he had been granted the knowledge that the average soldier in this country did not possess such abilities.

As a demon, he did not enjoy simply tormenting the weak. Rather, he enjoyed toying with the weaklings who thought they were very strong. That was why he hoped that such an arrogant fool would show themselves, but unfortunately there did not seem to be anyone like that.

The Evil Lord of Wrath stomped on a burnt corpse.

The innards squeezed out of it by the impact were charred in an instant.

The odor of offal filled the air.

The Evil Lord of Wrath turned away.

If it were to get serious and take to the skies, there would be many more casualties. Had these humans realized that yet? The Evil Lord of Wrath held that question in his heart as he walked.

Everyone watched in silence as the demon walked proudly and regally back to the demi-human encampment.

Nobody thought, what was that monster? There was no need to ask either. Even the stupidest of fools knew the answer.

He was the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth.

The being who had trampled the Holy Kingdom underfoot and made the people cry rivers of tears.

The demon that had caused havoc in two nations demonstrated a power which mankind could never overcome. He had returned to bring despair to people who were once filled with hope for victory.

-x-X-x-

Neia had heard of silence, but this was something else. She had been summoned to this tent, and she was surprised at how depressed the mood inside was.

The table had been specially moved here, and the Southern nobles seated around it were pale. No, the Liberation Army commanders were also in the same state.

It was a natural reaction.

Nobody could have witnessed Jaldabaoth's overwhelming power and not been shocked — no, back then, Neia had not been that shocked. However, that was because the shock of losing the great entity known as the Sorcerer King had been even worse. That, in addition to everything she had witnessed up to this point, might have numbed her heart.

However, the Southern nobles had not experienced harsh fighting until now, so perhaps their alarm was only to be expected. They had not experienced a foe who could kill men one after the other just by walking, leaving nothing behind but hideous corpses.

In addition, their army of nearly 100,000 had been panicked by a single demon and dissolved into a rout.

"—What's this? What the hell is this! What do you call that, that monster!"

Count Dominguez' voice rose steadily.

In contrast, Caspond — who knew of Jaldabaoth's overwhelming power — shrugged nonchalantly.

"That is Jaldabaoth… the real thing. I've told you about him before, Count Dominguez."

"I've never heard of the ability to kill people just by walking!"

Is that the problem? Neia jeered in her heart.

"Indeed, that is how it is. His battle with the Sorcerer King — His Majesty — was in a city, so we could not see the full extent of his might. But I've already told you how powerful it is. So surely an ability like that should not come as a surprise, no?"

"Even, even so!"

"—Count. I know what you want to say. Seeing is believing, is it not?"

It was the Marquis who spoke. All that could be said was that one had to hand it to him for not being as nervous as the others.

"…Still, saying that won't help us make any progress. Should we not discuss what we need to do from now on?"

"That makes perfect sense, Marquis-sama. What should we do?" Viscount Santz asked in a rapid-fire burst of words. His attitude was understandable, given that he did not know if his present location was safe.

The Southern nobles had intended to crush a few stragglers with overwhelming force in order to become the heroes who had saved the nation. It should have been that simple. However, that was not to be. Now the hunters had become the hunted.

The Marquis had his arms folded and remained silent. Caspond replied in his place.

"We have an overwhelming advantage in fighting strength. The problem is that Jaldabaoth can overturn that advantage by himself. I would like to ask everyone present a question in my capacity as the Prince. What do you think we should do to achieve victory under these circumstances?"

After a brief silence, the Marquis replied, "there's only one thing we can do" in a supremely confident tone.

"Prince Caspond. As you have said before, Jaldabaoth will probably retreat once we wipe out those demi-humans, right? Then we have no other option but to do so."

"Marquis-sama! Are you still going to fight?!"

"Exactly, Count Randalse. Do you think we can flee now?"

"…Marquis-sama, it would be very difficult for us all to flee, but could a small group not manage to run?"

Remedios snorted at Count Cohen's suggestion.

"That's a fitting answer for an incompetent who can't even understand Calcasama's ideals."

"What?!"

"What will you do after running away and escaping? Cower under a hay bale in a barn? Aren't you a noble? Shouldn't you say that you'll sacrifice yourself for the people or something?"

"And you, Captain Custodio? You're a paladin with a holy sword, but you can't even beat a single demon!" Count Randalse bellowed.

Remedios looked like a ghost now, and her eyes seemed to glow from within as she turned to face him.

"Indeed. I can't beat him. The only one who can fight him is that undead creature. But if it would buy some time — even if it was only to let the people live a second longer — then I would fight to the death against him! And you, what would you do?"

When a warrior who was prepared to meet death locked eyes with a noble who wanted to flee from death, the outcome was a foregone conclusion.

Count Randalse looked away, and Remedios snorted mockingly at him.

"My Prince. While I would very much like to order the paladins to die, do you still have anything to say?"

"While making up your mind is very important… well, could you go? You don't mind leaving Vice-Captain Montagnés behind, do you?"

"I see. In that case, I'll leave the rest to you, Montagnés."

With that, Remedios slowly walked out of the tent. The last thing she did was glance at Shizu, who was seated beside Neia.

"Everyone, I apologize on behalf of our Captain," Gustav said as he eyed the nobles — who were going "Honestly" — before continuing, "Still, that opinion is shared by all of us. We paladins are all ready to die as shields for the people. We hope you gentlemen, being of noble birth, are similarly determined. After all, we can't fight if there are no commanders."

"What?!"

Before Neia could tell who had exclaimed in surprise, Marquis Bodipo spoke up.

"That's about enough… We aren't planning how to die gloriously, we're planning how to win. Am I correct, my Prince?"

"Just so, Marquis-dono. There's not much time before Jaldabaoth takes complete control. We need to find a way to win before that."

"—There's no way to win, is there?! Didn't you see that demon's power?!"

Count Granero shouted as he rose to his feet. "If he used magic or attacked or something, we might still be able to come up with some way to stop him! But all he's doing is walking! He can turn the area around him into a hellish inferno just by walking!"

"Come to think of it… Count Granero, you know a bit about magic, right? Do you have…"

"Nothing I learned covered powers like that…"

"Is that so… then, assume there were still 10,000 demi-human enemies remaining. Could we flee from Jaldabaoth while wiping them out at the same time?"

The Marquis seemed to approve of Caspond's proposal.

"It seems there's no other way… While it'll be difficult, I think it would be harder to try and defeat Jaldabaoth with our strength."

"A moment please," Count Cohen interrupted with a raise of his hand. "I object. Jaldabaoth might not leave even after we kill the demi-humans. However, he might kill all of us as a souvenir first before he goes."

He was right. Therefore, Caspond followed up with a perfectly reasonable question.

"So what should we do?"

"We ought to negotiate."

Few people managed to resist the urge to laugh at Count Cohen as he delivered that suggestion with a perfectly straight face.

Count Cohen's face turned red as the others laughed at him. Before he could continue, Caspond asked:

"Count, what kind of deal do you intend to make with that devil?"

"Ah, ah yes. For instance, maybe we could trade him something in exchange for letting us leave safely…"

"What will we give him? Wouldn't it be simpler to just kill us and take it off our bodies? Or do you mean we should trade him something that isn't here? What would that be?"

"A moment please, Your Highness! All I'm saying is that fighting isn't our only option! I just meant to say that there's a possibility we might be able to negotiate with him, that's all!"

"Count, your way of thinking is a little, yes, a little too optimistic. For starters, who will we send to negotiate with that monster… Come to think of it, I heard that His Majesty put one of his maid demons under his control, and she turned out quite useful in retaking Kalinsha. Surely that maid demon could do something, right?"

Count Granero turned to look at Shizu.

"…I can't beat Jaldabaoth… Buying time would be hard too."

"Still, if you fought alongside Captain Custodio, you might be able to buy some time."

His suggestion made a lot of sense. They would need someone to hold Jaldabaoth in place while they carried out Caspond's plan, in any event.

However, that would essentially be sending them to their deaths.

"…Hmm~" Shizu tilted her head to look at the ceiling. "…This is a problem…"

"How about it? That way, we can deepen the relationship between the Sorcerer Kingdom and the Holy Kingdom."

"…Hmm… hm!"

"Is that a yes?"

Should I interrupt now? Neia thought as Shizu answered.

"…No."

"May, may I know the reason why?"

"…No reason."

"There's no reason?"

Shizu nodded to Count Dominguez, who was frozen in place.

"Is Jaldabaoth really that scary?!"

"…Hm? …That's the reason then. He's scary and I don't want to do it."

"Guh." Count Dominguez was at a loss for words. Now that she had said as much, he had no response for her. If Shizu said, "If you're not afraid, then you go buy time" he would be finished. If she had rejected the proposal based on some kind of argument, then all he would need to do was pick that argument apart, but since she had refused based on her feelings, getting past that would be very difficult.

As silence returned to the tent, one of the Liberation Army's top brass, a person who commanded thousands of soldiers and militiamen slowly said:

"Why don't we run before Jaldabaoth fully takes command? I don't think we can beat a monster like that. We used to have the Sorcerer King in the past, but he's not here any more… does anyone know of anybody who can defeat Jaldabaoth? No, right? If we fled to the South…"

Beside him another commander quietly said,

"…There's no guarantee that Jaldabaoth won't chase us to the South, right?"

With a loud thump of the table, the previous speaker bellowed:

"In that case, all we can do is follow the Prince's suggestion and kill the demihumans! If we can't run, then we must fight! It's just that simple!"

"That's right! That's the only way we can go on living. I don't want to bow down and go through that hell again. Let's start by putting a formation together—"

The tent flap was forcefully pulled open, and a soldier who reported directly to Caspond rushed in.

"Your Highness! The demi-humans are moving! They're reforming their lines!"

They did not have a proper formation in the previous battle. Did they have one now because of Jaldabaoth's command?

"Is that so… Gentleman, the enemy will be attacking soon. We need to prepare for battle as soon as possible!"

After Caspond finished, all the people who had been called here stood up as one. Neia and Shizu did as well.

The others rushed out of the tent first, eager to save time.

The final ones remaining in the tent were Neia and Shizu. Neia's unit was already together, so there was no need to go gather them.

Neia suddenly felt that something was amiss about the grim expression on the face of the messenger who had barged into the tent, but there was nothing she could do about it, and so she and Shizu returned to their unit.

"Now then, I believe there's still some bad news in store?"

"Yes! My Prince! Is it really advisable to let these gentlemen return?"

"That will depend on your report."

Caspond had once told his subordinates that they must never speak of information which was not common knowledge in the presence of third parties.

That was why this man was the last to remain in the tent.

"…Your Highness, the demi-humans are advancing on us from the east. At this rate, they'll reach us in one hour."

"Im…possible…"

Caspond struggled to keep himself from raising his voice. It would be bad if someone outside the tent heard this.

"Kalinsha is to the east. Why hasn't the city contacted us yet? Even if they did make a big detour to circle around us, how did they avoid our patrols' eyes? …Or are they few in number?"

"No, they're estimated to be over 10,000 strong… what should we do, sire?"

The Holy Kingdom still had the numerical advantage even if one added 10,000 men to the demi-humans' forces. However, the fact that they were coming from the east was disastrous. When a smaller force attempted a pincer attack, normally one would simply defeat each arm of the pincer individually. However, this time, they were facing Jaldabaoth.

In other words, their escape route had been cut off.

"…Alright, listen closely. You must not tell this news to anyone, got it?"

Caspond coldly told the surprised scout. "This news is very dangerous. If the army learns of it, they'll sap their will to fight and we'll lose a battle that we could have won. Also, a lot of people might end up dying. We must not tell anyone about this for the sake of unity."

"Your Highness…"

"…Don't worry. All will be well if we can win within an hour. There's nothing to be afraid of."

"…I understand."

"Also, do your best to keep the scouts from investigating the east. If things go badly, they might let the news slip, and then we'll splinter and end up defeated in detail. You must keep this secret until the last moment, understand?"

"Yes, sir!"

While he did not seem quite comfortable with it, the man probably felt that Caspond's logic was sound as he left the room. Alone inside the tent, Caspond palmed his face.

***

The palisade they had built was very simple. The west and north sides were complete, but the south-side was only half-finished.

Meanwhile, there was nothing on the east side. It would be better to take formation on open ground rather than try to fight in such a cramped place, so they abandoned their camp and spread out over the plains.

They had chosen to form a long line.

Any unit that made contact with Jaldabaoth would be lost. Therefore, the other units would abandon it and attack the demi-humans. They had taken this formation because they were prepared to make that sacrifice. Amidst all this, Remedios would lead the paladins on hit and run attacks, so she had no fixed position. This was so that she could head towards any location where Jaldabaoth appeared.

Neia and her unit were also free-roaming. She understood the two implications of that assignment. The first was that it would be easy for Shizu — as a subordinate of the Sorcerer King — to escape. The second was that if Shizu wanted to fight Jaldabaoth, putting her in an immobile unit would result on a hole being torn in the line of battle.

Neia's unit had already discussed what they would do if Jaldabaoth showed up.

Would they hunt down the demi-humans, flee to a safe place — or perhaps, would they fight Jaldabaoth?

Their answer was unanimous.

They would defeat the demi-humans.

All of them deeply hated Jaldabaoth, the source of all evil. However, they knew their place — what good could they do, if even the mighty Sorcerer King was no match for him? In that case, it would be better to focus on slaying the demihumans, in order to bring them just a little closer to victory. Of course, part of that was also because they did not want to let Shizu die, being that she was a subordinate of their great benefactor, the Sorcerer King.

Neia mounted up on her horse, and studied the enemy.

The demi-human formation had been full of openings in their previous battle, but now it was immaculate. What had once been a motley grouping of demihumans by racial types was now a neat line of battle that looked like a veteran army.

Had the demi-humans projected such an image of strength and power in the previous battle? Their rows of shields looked sturdy and indomitable, while their bristling spear points gleamed with blinding brilliance. Jaldabaoth's incredible command ability notwithstanding, this unit's cohesion was self-evident.

No—

This is only to be expected. Everyone would obey once they saw his overwhelming power.

Many demi-humans placed a great emphasis on personal power. In that respect, they would probably be glad to follow Jaldabaoth.

The battle was about to begin.

Neia and her people loosed arrows from the rear.

A rain of arrows launched by 3000 people fell upon the enemy.

During this battle, the humans had adopted a wide formation in order to end the battle quickly — by wiping out the demi-humans.

They launched a heavy cavalry charge, leaving nothing in reserve. The humans were committed to an uphill slog, and they attacked ferociously. In contrast to them, the demi-humans solidified their defense.

Perhaps it was because they understood that this all-out attack was nothing more than casting kindling onto a blaze. The charred remains of the kindling would scatter all over the ground in short order.

Given that humans were weak individuals, it would be very difficult for them to bring down the demi-humans' reinforced defense. Or rather, the humans might have actually had a chance against the demi-humans if Jaldabaoth were not around. However, the demi-humans' unit composition was one which allowed the many races making it up to make full use of their respective abilities, compensating for their weaknesses and further emphasizing their strengths.

The demi-humans' defense made the advantage the humans had enjoyed several hours ago seem like a pleasant dream. No matter how many times they charged, how many times they thrust their lances, or how many arrows they loosed, nothing they did could shake the demi-humans' formation. Instead, the attackers from the Holy Kingdom took heavier losses than them.

Time was passing, and they could not let the battle last until nightfall.

However, the humans' morale and stamina would probably give out before that and they would be crushed in turn.

In addition—

"Jaldabaoth's appeared in sector 2A! Second Infantry has been completely wiped out!"

"Fourth Infantry has taken more than half casualties!"

"Sixth Lancers has taken over half casualties!"

—The messengers loudly announced the situation on the battlefield.

"Where is he this time?!"

Caspond had suggested they divide the battlefield into several sectors.

They were numbered, to make moving the men as easy as possible. It was a very crude system, but it was easy to understand.

The forces there must have been trying to flee Jaldabaoth. Even from here, it was plain to see that they were in complete disarray. The demi-humans in that region began their attack, and troop organization there disintegrated like it had melted.

That was it.

Just by appearing once and using just that little bit of power, he had destroyed a battalion of 500 men, and there were nearly 1000 casualties in total. The demihumans who charged the gap he created caused even more deaths in turn.

It would be one thing if the demi-humans had gotten cocky and pressed the attack, but they immediately retreated after pursuing for a short distance, like a turtle shrinking into its shell. This turned the battle into a melee, and the tactics designed to make it difficult for Jaldabaoth to use his powers could not be applied.

That masterful strategy was probably the result of Jaldabaoth's command ability as well.

Remedios led her paladins to sector 2A as quickly as she could. However, by the time she arrived, Jaldabaoth was no longer there. He had moved to another region via teleportation, as if to mock them.

This series of events had repeated itself over and over again since just now.

The word "bad" was not nearly enough to describe this.

Still, it was a fact that nobody here, Neia included, could think of any good solutions. All Neia and her people could do was keep raining arrows on the demihuman troops.

Shizu simply watched the battle from beside Neia. Her weapon was not capable of arcing fire like bows were, so she had no chance to demonstrate her incredible skills.

Eventually, Neia's fingers began to hurt from drawing back her bowstring, and everyone's quivers — including her own — began to run dry.

"Baraja-sama! We're almost out of arrows!"

They did not have unlimited arrows.

"…Fall back for now and replenish supplies!"

The unit obeyed Neia's instructions and returned to the rear to stock up on arrows.

She would have liked to give them some rest time, but unfortunately they did not have the luxury of that.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Baraja-sama. We can move out any time!"

"In that case—"

Just as she was about to shout for them to move out, Neia saw several mounted scouts from the east.

The lead scout met Neia's eyes for a moment, and then he shouted:

"Demi-humans from the east! Look out!"

"Hah?"

Surprised, Neia looked into the distance and squinted. She could make out some rising dust and the shapes of what looked like people. While she would need to check their movement speeds to be sure, given their distance, they would be here soon.

What a mistake this had been.

They had been so focused on the demi-humans before their eyes that they had neglected to watch their backs.

She wanted to believe this was fake. She wanted to believe that Kalinsha had sent reinforcements to help them.

However, that was not the case. If it were, then they would have sent a swift horse ahead to inform them.

Neia's legs felt like they might collapse.

This news was far too grim.

Jaldabaoth's plan was to trap them with a pincer attack from the enemy reinforcements.

He did not fight, but let the demi-humans fight instead. This way the humans would choose not to flee, but to fight in order to satisfy their victory conditions.

Jaldabaoth's aim had been to bait all the humans onto the battlefield and keep them from escaping.

In other words, Jaldabaoth had already surmised that the humans would say that he would flee once the demi-humans were wiped out.

"Haha, but of course!"

Bertrand laughed with genuine mirth.

Just as everyone was looking at him with panicked eyes, Bertrand regained his calm and addressed Neia.

"Prince Caspond made a fatal mistake in his thinking. More importantly, why did he not notice it?"

"What do you mean?!"

"…Baraja-sama. It is a perfectly natural thing. As long as Jaldabaoth controls the hills, he can send reinforcements here. Just destroying the demi-humans in this place does not mean Jaldabaoth will retreat."

"Ahhh!"

After hearing the explanation, Neia was not the only one who understood. The same noises could be heard from around Bertrand.

.

"After driving away the demi-humans here, we will still have to counterinvade the hills. Prince Caspond's idea can only be proven correct after we exterminate all the demi-humans there as well."

Indeed. Bertrand also supplied an answer for why they had not thought of this.

"…Prince Caspond and ourselves thought of the same thing, and we were blinded by the possibility of salvation and did not consider the matter in greater depth."

But launching a counter-invasion of the hills was practically impossible. In other words—

"…There's no way to save the Holy Kingdom?"

Silence filled the air. The clamor of the battlefield seemed very far away.

"No…" Bertrand forced himself to speak. "There is a way."

"Which is?"

"…Jaldabaoth. We have to defeat the Demon Emperor Jaldabaoth."

It was a perfect answer, but there was no rejoicing. It was the most insoluble problem in the world, and they had adopted Caspond's plan precisely because they could not do it.

"…As I thought, we should have gone to look for His Majesty above everything else. We were the ones who chose poorly."

If she had not gone to retake Kalinsha, but went to the hills with Shizu in tow, they might have avoided this.

Still, it would have been very difficult. Neia had made the best choice she could based on what she could do. She had tried to avoid foolhardiness and pick the most successful path.

However, should they have tried it after all?

What if—

What if—

What if—

Countless "what ifs" flew through Neia's mind. Every time she thought about

"what if I had done this or that" she was swamped in guilt and regret.

Her will to fight was at rock bottom. Neia was not the only one. Her entire unit which felt this way.

The victor was clear.

When one got down to it, the premise of their victory was flawed from the start. Or rather, the battle itself had been a waste of time.

All they could do now was think about how to end this with as few casualties as possible and flee to a safe place. However, that was not the right thing to do.

Weakness was a sin.

It was a sin to be so weak that they could not rescue anyone. That was why they had trained hard to this day.

She could not allow this to end with herself as a sinner.

If that happened, she would not be able to face that figure of absolute justice,

His Majesty Ainz Ooal Gown.

Neia had prepared her soul for what was to come, and she unconsciously mentioned what was in her heart.

"It's over, huh."

She was louder than she thought she would be. There was no telling if the people around Neia had been affected by her mood, or if they had been thinking the same thing as Neia from the start, but whatever the reason, they all bowed their heads.

This was the end.

The dream of liberating the Holy Kingdom and helping the people had come to an end here.

Come to think of it, they had dared to entertain that dream because of the Sorcerer King's power. But this was how they had ended up like this when they were by themselves.

Neia knew that now was not the time to laugh, but she did. Then her face turned serious, and she looked toward Shizu.

"…Can you get away?"

"…How about you, Neia?"

Neia held her chest high.

"I can't run! I'm a person who saw His Majesty work for others, and who benefited from it. I can't let this end with me as a weakling — as a sinner."

Neia saw the people around her raise their heads.

"We won't run from that bastard!"

They looked like proper warriors again.

Those were the faces of men who were prepared to die. How she wanted to show them off before the Sorcerer King.

"But… sen… no, you're not the same… Which is why we want to place our wishes in you. I know it must seem strange for us to entrust our thanks to you, since you're a subordinate of the Sorcerer King, but… Please do it for us. Please find His Majesty, Shizu. You can command those of us who are still in Kalinsha as you see fit. Therefore…"

"…Got it."

Neia breathed a sigh of relief after she heard Shizu agree.

However, that expression immediately became one of surprise.

"…There's no need for me to go."

"What, what does that mean?"

"…Look."

Shizu pointed at the approaching objects — the demi-human reinforcements coming from the direction of Kalinsha. They were made up of many different races, even Orcs and Zerns. Neia stared at the flags which the demi-human reinforcements were holding up in neat rows. It was—

"Eh?"

Neia was so shocked that she exclaimed despite herself.

She doubted what her eyes had seen and looked again several more times, but what she saw remained the same.

"…See? There's no need."

Neia knew that flag very well.

It was the flag of the Sorcerer Kingdom.

The shocked cries from her comrades proved that what Neia had seen was no illusion.

"Isn't that the flag of the Sorcerer Kingdom? You told us about it before, didn't you, Baraja-sama?"

"Are those reinforcements from the Sorcerer Kingdom? Baraja-sama did say something about demi-humans in the Sorcerer Kingdom."

They were in the middle of a war right now. At this very moment, countless people were killing each other, and Jaldabaoth was killing people too.

However, Neia forgot all that as she tried desperately to grasp what was going on.

What happened next fired everyone up.

The demi-human army neatly split into two, like they had drilled the maneuver countless times. They made way in the center for a single undead being to step forward.

He was a magic caster in a black robe, mounted on a skeletal warhorse.

That was the form of the hero Neia adored, who she saw even in her dreams.

"It, it's His Majesty… no way…"

Neia had no confidence in whether she was watching a dream or witnessing reality.

However, the being she saw was immovable, and he could not be a dream.

Her emotions exploded inside her, to the point she could not even describe how she felt.

Her hot tears blurred her field of vision. She could not even think to wipe them away.

Shizu waved to the Sorcerer King. He seemed to have noticed this, and urged his horse over to her.

The Sorcerer King approached.

What should she say to him? Should she apologize for not searching for him?

Would she be forgiven if she did that? While Neia was looking for the right words to say, the Sorcerer King had already reached her and nimbly dismounted from his steed.

"…Umu. What a coincidence that we should meet here. Miss Baraja. Did you think I was dead?"

"Your, Your Majesty!"

Neia could not stem the flow of her tears.

"I believed in all this time, because Shizu-senpai told me. I thought you would be fine, but… it was true!"

"Ah… um. Ah… hm. Mm. I see. That pleases me. Uh… senpai?"

It would seem the Sorcerer King was also delighted at this reunion, because he seemed to be at a loss for words.

"…Don't cry."

Shizu pressed her handkerchief to Neia's face and rubbed it forcefully.

"…There's snot on it again. Really shocking."

"Oh… it seems you're getting along quite well with Shizu, Miss Baraja. This pleases me."

"It's all thanks to Your Majesty! I don't know what I'd do without Shizusenpai! Thank you very much!"

Neia's emotions had been such a mess that she did not know what she had been saying just now.

"I see… That is quite a surprise for me… Shizu, how was it?"

"…I like Neia. Her face is kind of charming."

"Please don't say that," Neia said as she rubbed her eyes, having stopped crying already. Soon, she had cleared away the last of her tears. "Your Majesty, I have many things I would like to ask You, but the most important thing is… are You displeased at the speed of our rescue? If you are, then I take full responsibility—"

"—Miss Baraja," the Sorcerer King raised his hand to keep her from going on.

"Why are you saying this? None of you have displeased me in any way."

Neia's eyes filled with tears again. Nor was she alone — everyone around her who had heard the Sorcerer King's kind words wept as well. There were people who had been holding their tears in who finally broke down sobbing.

The Sorcerer King's shoulders shifted slightly.

"…Ah, everyone, do not cry. More importantly, you ought to have other things you wish to ask, no? Many more things? Why not ask?"

"Ah, yes."

After Shizu wiped her tears again — she had apparently put the snot-stained handkerchief away — Neia asked the Sorcerer King a question.

"Are, are those demi-humans soldiers of the Sorcerer Kingdom?"

While she had not seen any undead among them, these demi-humans might merely be the vanguard.

"No… no, you could say that, I believe? When I fell to the Abelion Hills, I took the land there for the Sorcerer Kingdom. Therefore, you could call them forces of the Sorcerer Kingdom, no?"

Neia was speechless.

He was amazing.

How could that be anything other than "amazing"?

The hills were filled with demi-humans, and they were supposedly ruled by a henchman of Jaldabaoth. Yet he had dealt with him with just his strength alone and subjugated the hills. Who else could do this besides the Sorcerer King?

Neia trembled in excitement.

"And so, well, it took me a bit of time to gather the demi-humans suffering under Jaldabaoth and lead them here as an army. All this was in order to settle things with Jaldabaoth — it seems we had good timing."

There were no facial expressions on the Sorcerer King's bony visage, but Neia could sense him smiling majestically.

"I! I expected nothing less of Your Majesty!"

Bertrand ran over to the Sorcerer King, his face stained by tears.

"Oh! It is He!"

Suddenly, Bertrand fell to his knees. No, he was not alone. Everyone around Neia — everyone who belonged to her flock — gathered around and prostrated themselves before him.

"That's His Majesty for you!"

"Simply magnificent, Your Majesty!"

Even the Sorcerer King was startled by the chorus of praise.

"Oh, ahh… hm… speaking of which, I have a question for you as well, Miss

Baraja… who are they?"

"They are people who are grateful for Your Majesty's kindness and who wish to repay it to You!"

"Exactly! We were rescued by Your Majesty!"

"Yes! We are the people who wished to repay the debt we owe Your Majesty in some way. Thus, when Baraja-sama called, we answered!"

As though to back them up, Neia proudly stated:

"We're not the only ones! There are many more people who want to repay the kindness Your Majesty showed us!"

"Oh… this makes me very happy… although, does everyone feel this way?"

"Yes! Precisely! Everyone is grateful to you!"

"I… I see… Thank you, everyone."

The Sorcerer King's thanks made everyone feel like they had chosen the right way to express their gratitude, and so they wept with lumps in their throats.

"…Are these tears of gratitude for me?"

"Yes! Precisely!"

"And you gathered them all, Miss Baraja… it seems you've grown up while I wasn't around to see."

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty!"

Neia was all smiles after being praised by the Sorcerer King.

"Ah, now then… Miss Baraja, please have them rise. I came here to make up for my previous defeat… what happened to Jaldabaoth?"

"Ah! Yes! Jaldabaoth—"

Flames erupted, as though they had been waiting for that moment. Neia shuddered as she thought of how many of the Holy Kingdom's soldiers must have perished in that blaze.

"…I see. Then there is no need to ask. It seems the time to fight him again has come. Shizu!"

"…Yes, Ainz-sama."

"I will handle the rest. You will protect the people here. Don't forget to have them prepare an appropriate welcome for my victorious return, alright?"

Cheers of "Uohhhhh!" rose up from the crowd.

"Hear me! I miscalculated in the previous battle. I was outnumbered and low on mana. However, the situation now is different. Jaldabaoth cannot summon that many demons again in a short time. In addition, I am fully recovered now.

There is no more reason for me to lose! All you need to do is wait here for me to return in triumph!"

The people cheered as the Sorcerer King announced his absolute victory.

He flourished his cape and advanced regally. Everyone stepped aside, clearing a straight path for him, as though shaken by his overpowering aura of dominion.

"Your Majesty!"

The Sorcerer King turned to look at Neia.

"Please win!"

"Of course!"

The Sorcerer advanced once more. Though his form seemed to be shrinking, she did not feel alone or afraid. It was the reassurance of a child being held by her parents. Neia was not the only one. There were others who felt the same way.

"…We've won."

From beside Neia, Shizu announced the Sorcerer King's victory with certainty in her voice. Neia agreed with her as well.

Soon — a plume of flame rose. It was followed by the darkness flying after it.

Just as before, fire and shadow clashed with each other.

By this time, the cries of the battlefield had gone silent.

Both sides lowered their blades and looked to the battle in the sky.

Yes.

Everyone knew it in their hearts.

The victor of this battle would have the right to end it all.

They were no longer in a realm where mortal men could intervene. This was a battle of the gods.

Light.

Darkness.

Fire.

Lightning.

Meteors.

All manner of incomprehensible phenomena—

—Collided with incredible force.

And then—

"Ahhh!"

Neia rejoiced.

That was because Neia's keen eyes had seen the fire die, and the darkness slowly descend.

This battle had been surprisingly swift compared to the previous one. It was as though to prove that with his mana restored and without the maid demons to get in his way, the Sorcerer King could triumph that easily.

"Shizu-senpai!"

"…It's like I told you, kouhai."

Shizu looked like this was perfectly natural, and Neia grabbed her hand and shook it vigorously. However, that was not enough to calm her heart. Neia tightly embraced Shizu's little body and the hands behind her back kept patting and patting.

As everyone witnessed his victory, they erupted into thunderous cheers.

The Sorcerer King slowly descended and landed upon the earth.

After that, the Sorcerer King raised both his arms, and brought forth even greater cheers than before.

-x-X-x-

-x-X-x-

[Epilogue]

Things became simple after the Sorcerer King's victory. The demi-humans had already lost the will to fight, so all that was left was to mop them up. There were practically no casualties on the side of Holy Kingdom, but the ground was littered with demi-human corpses.

Now that the enemy general Jaldabaoth had been defeated, nobody could stand in the way of the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army.

Recapturing the city of Prart and the capital city of Hoburns was practically instantaneous.

It would take a while longer to free the city of Rimun, which was further west, and there were still people suffering in villages which had been converted to detention camps, but this was already a big step.

The liberated capital was filled with joyous sounds, and their ardor had not abated even after a whole day. In fact, it actually grew livelier.

However, the brass ― Neia included ― knew that there was still a veritable mountain of problems to be dealt with.

The first issue was food. The demi-humans had eaten everything and caused a shortage of food. It would surely hamper the progress of the Holy Kingdom in the future.

The next was the people who had died. Losses in the workforce could be replaced. However, if the deceased were skilled craftsmen, scholars, or people who might one day become them, then the loss of knowledge would be a fatal blow to the nation.

And then there was the matter of resources. The demi-humans had plundered and destroyed many things, and rebuilding all of them would take a lot of resources.

Finally, there was the matter of time. The demi-humans had taken a full two seasons during their invasion, and they would need to work twice as hard to make up for the loss.

And of course, there might be demi-humans lurking within the Holy Kingdom.

They would need to be rooted out and exterminated.

The location of most of the loot taken by the demi-humans ― valuables and magic items ― was unknown. The demi-humans all had separate cultures of their own, so adorning themselves with precious metals and collecting human wealth was hardly a strange thing, However, the strange thing was that there were no clues at all as to where those things had been taken. That was because they had been completely unable to track the enemy's transport units.

Still, however many problems lay ahead of them, there would be people who felt that it would be fine if they could lose themselves in frank and honest revelry. They would need a short break before the painful days to come, and Neia agreed on that point as well.

However, she could not do that today. She could not lose herself in celebration on this day.

The reason for that was because it was a day of parting.

It was a very sad day.

There was a lone carriage stopped in front of the royal capital's main gate, on the eastern side of the city. In contrast to the carriage's plain exterior, Neia knew that its interior was lavishly and meticulously fitted, and its performance was also excellent. In particular, its seats did not hurt the bottom even after long periods spent sitting on them.

Indeed.

It was the carriage Neia had been allowed to share with the Sorcerer King when he had come to the Holy Kingdom.

In other words, today was the day when the Sorcerer King would leave the Holy Kingdom and return to his own country.

Originally, it would not have been a surprise to see a carriage of the Sorcerer Kingdom surrounded by demi-humans. The Sorcerer King had united the Abelion Hills and brought many of the demi-humans under his banner for the battle with Jaldabaoth. That said, there were none of them in sight, because the Sorcerer King had allowed them all to return to the hills.

This was not a matter of the past few days. He had let them return after the final battle with Jaldabaoth had ended.

When she had asked the reason for that, she had received the answer, "You must hate being around the demi-humans, don't you?" Such was his sympathy for the people of the Holy Kingdom.

Neia was deeply moved.

He had considered the mental state of the Holy Kingdom and let his own soldiers return home, saying that they would travel in the company of the soldiers of the Holy Kingdom, who were from another nation. This was by no means ordinary behavior for the ruler of a nation.

Indeed, unless it were the King of Kings ― the magnanimous Sorcerer King.

Neia's group of like-minded supporters were also deeply moved.

Therefore, when Neia and her comrades had taken it upon themselves to become the Sorcerer King's honor guard, nobody could bring themselves to protest. Of course, there was almost no more fighting, so for the most part they simply moved with the Sorcerer King, but the faces of her comrades were still fresh in Neia's memories.

She remembered their joy at being able to walk with the person who had saved them, their pride at being able to accompany the hero who had defeated Jaldabaoth, and then the bliss of being allowed to stand by the side of the king they so admired. Their faces all blended these differing emotions.

They were nowhere in sight today.

All she could see were the walls and the main gate of the Holy Kingdom's capital, and then the street leading to Prart ― which continued on to the Sorcerer Kingdom.

"Are you going back today, Your Majesty? The people are all abuzz with joy after the liberation of the royal capital. I feel it would not be out of place to have Your Majesty join us for the next few days, in a thanksgiving festival for the person who was the biggest contributor towards taking back the capital within a few days…"

She had asked that question several times in the past. She would probably get the answer she knew she would receive, that he was heading home. Even so, she still had to ask it again. It was probably the work of Neia's feminine side.

"Ahh, I'll be returning to the Sorcerer Kingdom today. I'm not confident in my ability to deal with ceremonies."

As the Sorcerer King muttered to himself, he made a very exaggerated movement, like a comical shrugging of his shoulders, perhaps because he knew Neia would feel distressed if she took his words to heart.

"Surely you jest, Your Majesty."

"Umu, well, yes I was, I was just kidding. Yes, kidding… In truth, I've done everything I came here to do. Thus, there is no need for me to stay here. I also need to guide the development of the Sorcerer Kingdom, in my capacity as its king. If I leave the throne for long, my Prime Minister Albedo will scold me."

Neia's mind conjured up the visage of the world-class beauty she had seen but once. She was a woman whose beauty made her unforgettable.

Surely she can't be that scary when she gets mad… or is she scary when she gets mad because she's beautiful? While I don't think that's what His Majesty meant, it's a little hard to imagine someone as pretty as that getting angry. Still… I'm envious… Being allowed to speak to him like that, because she was close to him, was something that Neia desperately wanted, yet could not ask for, which made her very envious. How happy would Neia be if she heard the Sorcerer King she so respected tell others Neia will scold me or something like that?

"Is that so… still, it is a shame that there's nobody to send off Your Majesty, given that you saved this nation."

The Sorcerer King's decision to go had been a sudden thing. The fact that there was nobody to send him off told a sad and lonely story.

"I already told Prince Caspond that it would be troublesome if the festival was too lavish. This nation will be facing a lot of difficulties from now on. Rather than waste resources and manpower on sending me off, I'd rather have them use it on rebuilding the country."

"Your Majesty…"

Why did he have to go back?

If she clung to his feet and made a big scene of weeping, she could probably delay his return to his nation by a week.

While she keenly felt the desire to do so, she bore with it. She could not act spoilt around the most merciful Sorcerer King.

"Ah, it's not because I want to act like some kind of big shot, uh, it's just that this country really has nothing left, yes… like wealth. While I thought that asking them to leave a bit more might be good… What I mean to say is, ah yes, I would like you all to not mind me and keep working hard. Also… look, the stability of your country will be good for the Sorcerer Kingdom too, as neighbors. There'll be trade between us and so on in the future, yes."

So he had sensed what Neia was thinking, and he was fumbling to comfort her. While he was typically very cool and stylish, he sometimes spoke in a way that made her worry for him.

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty."

"Oh? Hm, don't, don't worry about it. I came to this country for Jaldabaoth's maids, after all. And now―" The Sorcerer King patted Shizu ― who had been standing beside him all this time, as though she were trying to mask her presence ― on the back.

"―And now I have them, so it was worth coming to this country."

Neia felt it was a little embarrassing that the Holy Kingdom could not give the Sorcerer King anything.

The Sorcerer King had gained Shizu ― the maid demon ― with his own strength. Neia and everyone who shared her beliefs felt the same way.

There had been discussions about what they would give to him, but someone had mentioned that since he was a king, having someone who did not represent the country giving him a present would instead be very rude, and so the plan had fallen through.

At the very least, Neia had hoped that Caspond would make some concessions on a national level, or sign a treaty which was unfavorable to the Holy Kingdom.

"…If you so desire, I can resurrect your parents with a grand spell that can only be used once every year, you know?"

"Thank you very much, Your Majesty, but ― there is no need for that."

During the liberation of the capital city, one of the prisoners had witnessed Neia's mother fall in battle. She had heard of her mother's valiant last stand from him. Surely she would not be angry even if she was not resurrected.

In addition, it was said that resurrection spells required extremely valuable materials as a material component, and Neia would be hard-pressed to afford those. Perhaps the most merciful Sorcerer King might supply them for free, but she could not keep relying on the Sorcerer King's largesse for her own sake.

However, it would seem the demi-humans had disposed of the corpse, so she could not even bid her a final farewell, which was quite sad.

"Talking for too long will only make the parting hurt more. I ought to be going soon. Shizu, is there anything you want to tell Miss Baraja?"

"…Bye."

"Alright! Goodbye!"

Shizu extended a hand to Neia, who shook it.

And then, the two of them let go without any further ado.

"…Are the two of you alright with this?"

"…It'll be… fine."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

.

"I see. Then ― we're going, Shizu."

As the Sorcerer King put one foot on the step leading up to his carriage, he turned back to address Neia.

"…This country will experience many difficulties in the future, but… I'm sure you'll be able to work hard and pull through it. I hope to see you again."

"Yes!"

Just as the Sorcerer King was about to enter his carriage, Neia looked at his back and could not stop herself from shouting:

"Majesty! Your Majesty!"

The Sorcerer King paused on the step of his carriage and looked back. Neia gulped, worked up her courage, and asked in a trembling voice:

"Ah, excuse me! Could I, could I call you Ainz-sama?!"

The cheek of her. Surely she, as a commoner from another nation, would be scolded for daring to address him in such a familiar fashion.

"…Eh? Ahh, yes, you may… call me anything you want."

"Thank you very much."

She bowed deeply to the magnanimous king of another nation, and by the time she raised her head, it was Shizu's turn to board the carriage.

"Take care, Shizu-senpai!"

"Mm!"

Shizu stuck out her thumb, and then she vanished into the carriage.

Perhaps it had sensed the two of them had boarded, but the horse whinnied and trotted off.

"―Then, Your Majesty!"

As she watched the carriage move off, Neia could no longer hide her tears as she shouted:

"Long live His Majesty the Sorcerer King!"

She was not the only one shouting at the top of her voice.

There was more than one gate in the royal capital. Her fellow believers had used the other gates and secretly gathered so they could pop up outside the gate to loudly wish the Sorcerer King well.

"Long may he live!"

"Long may he live!"

"Long may he live!"

At the same time, they scattered the flowers they had struggled so hard to collect.

The carriage carried on amidst all this.

It was hardly a fitting send off for the man who had saved the Holy Kingdom.

Even so, it was the best effort from Neia and the people who understood how she felt.

The carriage shrank in her tear-dimmed vision.

Neia sobbed.

She felt so lonely now.

She wanted the Sorcerer King and Shizu to ask "Would you like to come to the Sorcerer Kingdom?" If they had asked that, Neia might have abandoned everything to go with them.

But they had not.

She hated it.

In the end, Neia had been nothing more than a squire for his brief stay in this country.

All manner of negative emotions roiled up inside her.

However ― that was wrong.

In Neia's ears echoed the words which the Sorcerer King had said.

…This country will experience many difficulties in the future, but… I'm sure you'll be able to work hard and pull through it. I hope to see you again.

In other words, he had expectations for Neia.

Something like, though the Holy Kingdom is in chaos, I'm sure Neia can pull the country together, or something.

It had felt like a long time, but also a very short time, but it had changed her life tremendously ― and now it was over. However, this was only the beginning.

There were many things she had to do.

For starters, she had to repay the Sorcerer King's kindness with her actions.

Then, she would need to rebuild this country. Justice and evil. Neia had never really understood what those two words meant, but now she could hold her chest high and answer.

The Sorcerer King was justice, she would say. And being weak was a sin. The important thing was to work hard to be strong, and so on.

Neia had to spread the truths she had learned throughout the Holy Kingdom.

"Baraja-sama, please wipe your tears."

It was Bertrand.

At a closer look, his eyes were also red. Perhaps he had wiped his own tears

before coming to Neia's side, but his voice was still trembling, so he had clearly wept recently.

"Ahh…"

Neia forcefully wiped her tears away, just like how Shizu had first wiped her face.

"Baraja-sama. The people who witnessed that battle all want to hear about the Sorcerer King. Many more have come with their families in tow."

"I understand. We'll tell them that His Majesty ― Ainz-sama is a truly noble king, and also about Shizu."

Neia looked straight ahead.

"Goodbyes really are depressing. However ― Everyone! Let's go! Let us spread the truth ― that His Majesty is justice ― to more people!"

"―Ohhhh!"

Over 3000 people shouted in unison, and then they fell into step behind Neia.

***

The carriage moved on.

The long project was finally over. Ainz had never experienced it himself, but this must have been what it felt like to be an expatriate. Even if he had returned to Nazarick from time to time, this might have been the first time he had been away from it for so long.

He had thrown the matter of ruling the demi-humans of the Abelion Hills to Albedo, and he had handed the entirety of the Holy Kingdom's future affairs to Demiurge.

In other words, Ainz had taken the weight off his shoulders. He sighed, subtly enough that Shizu ― who was sitting opposite him ― did not notice.

While he had switched Demiurge's script to easy mode halfway through, the fatigue from all the complicated events until that point had not yet been fully eliminated.

However, he did feel the sense of relaxation which came from solving a previously insoluble problem.

That said, after returning to Nazarick ― E-Rantel, rather ― he would need to carefully and slowly take care of the work he had put off for the past two seasons.

Once, he had put his stamp on documents in a slapdash manner, trusting that Albedo had already looked them over, only to be told, "Truly, only Ainz-sama could make decisions so swiftly. I am filled with respect." Ainz had wondered whether that assessment of him was sarcastic or not.

Indeed. It was not because he had work waiting for him that he had not used

[Gate] ― which could take him back in an instant.

Definitely not.

There were ways to teleport to places one had not seen before, but it was still too early for that. It would do no good to show his hand. Of course, the Hanzo on the carriage had said nothing, and the anti-divination spell he had cast had not been triggered. It was a clear sign that nobody was monitoring Ainz and the others, but the opposition might be using methods which Ainz did not know about.

Since there's time, I can wait until we reach a more sheltered place to cast the teleportation spell, Ainz thought.

Indeed. It was definitely not because he wanted to keep away from those documents he could not understand no matter how many times he read them.

Still, if there was a problem―

Shizu hasn't said anything since she got on the carriage…

Neia had been that way too, but he always felt restless when he shared a carriage with someone else and they remained quiet. He could casually mention something if the other party were a man, but he would have to watch his words since she was female.

Can't you say something, Shizu? That thought had been in Ainz's mind ever since the beginning. Regretfully, it did not seem like it would be happening anytime soon. Finally, Ainz was no longer able to bear the silence, and after preparing himself for the worst, he spoke.

"Shizu, how do you feel about leaving Nazarick to work on your own? Do you have any questions or suggestions for the future?"

He would start by listening to a report from his subordinate, who had been busy with work when she had been sent out for an errand.

While he was not good at speaking to women, it was fine when he imagined them as female coworkers.

"…I think… worked hard."

"Is that so? You have worked very hard."

That was the end of the conversation. It was dead and gone.

Even if he waited a little longer, he ought not to expect Shizu to carry on.

Once the words "worked hard" were mentioned, it was very difficult to continue on from there. She had not answered the question about having any questions or future suggestions.

That said, these thoughts of his were merely the shallow contemplations of a superior. He ought to be thinking, Since she worked hard, all I have to do is wait for the results. There were also benefits in doing so. That was because the implication was that nothing had happened which might cause a problem or become an issue.

However, Shizu continued speaking.

"…It's hard to think on your own and then take action…"

"Indeed, that is the case."

Shizu had been working in Nazarick all this time, and all she had done was receive instructions and carry them out. However, he had only given her rough instructions this time, and then the actions she took based on the decisions she made within the scope of those instructions were her first task. For all he knew, that might have been too broad for her. Perhaps he should have started by giving her a simpler task, but Ainz also knew that Shizu had given him concrete results.

"Still, it's hardly unusual for the Pleiades to go outside for their work. The fact that the maid demons are now the Sorcerer King's minions has spread from the Holy Kingdom to the other nations by now. In future, you may be given orders which result in you leading subordinates of your own for activities outside Nazarick. This was a good experience. But giving vague instructions was a bad idea. Just as I thought, the person giving orders has to make them clear―"

At this point, Ainz sensed that he was digging his own grave. As the pinnacle of Nazarick, Ainz was the most likely to give out orders.

I can't possibly come up with concrete action plans. Or rather, if I come up with shallow plans, Albedo and Demiurge will frown on me!

"―should emphasize adapting to the situation, and come up with plans that give a certain degree of leeway. In the end, it's still the person on the ground who knows best!"

"…Yes. I learned a lot more compared to just following instructions."

"Ahh, indeed, just so. I understand how you feel very well."

Ainz scratched his head as he nodded, but then as he realized the difference in competency between Shizu and himself ― whose nonexistent stomach ached when he had read Demiurge's reports ― he wept softly in his heart.

"Speaking of which," Ainz decided to change the subject. If he went on, he might only end up shocking himself more. "It seems you and Miss Baraja got along very well. It felt like a shame that we had to part."

"…I was interested… in her…"

"―Really?! That's wonderful!"

Ainz's expression of joy was genuine.

Suzuki Satoru had not had children before, but he could understand how a parent felt when one heard that a child who had no friends had made friends for the first time.

Ah, I'm glad I resurrected her… hm? What does being interested mean… don't tell me she's not a friend, but more like a toy…

"…Can I assume that you are friends?"

Shizu briefly bowed her head in thought, but in the end she replied with a

"…Yes."

Ainz was filled with delight. However that explosion of joy was promptly negated.

While he was unhappy about that, the thought that this might be the first time someone from Nazarick had made a friend outside brought a trickle of joy to his heart.

Most of the people in Nazarick did not leave it, so they did not make friends outside. Perhaps if he let the other members go outside regularly, they would be able to make good friendships.

Ainz did not think that people with friends were superior to others. However, thinking that one did not need friends was also incorrect.

That said, it was always better to have the chance to make friends than not.

I had my friends from Ainz Ooal Gown. In that case, it might be good to let the other members go outside and give them free time to interact with others… especially Mare and Aura. No, it's also possible that giving them all some time on their birthday is…

umu.

"Have you arranged to meet Neia again?"

"…No… too far…"

"Ahh! No need to worry about that. I've already marked this place as a teleport point. You can go and have fun whenever you want. Just use [Gate]. There's no need to be shy. Mm."

"…If I'm free… please let me do so…"

"That's right! Free… I'll give you lots of free time. I've been thinking about a holiday plan for some time now. I should give the Pleiades a vacation too. Wouldn't it be good to go out and have fun with the others? I've arranged to have you placed under me, so it should be fine."

Shizu thought briefly about it, and then shook her head.

"…It'll cause problems."

"Problems, you say…"

What does that mean? Problems for Neia? Or will it keep her from having fun with Neia? Or is it because the other members won't approve…

"Well, if it causes problems then it can't be helped. You'll have to go on your own, Shizu. Speaking of which, let me change the topic. Miss Baraja's parents are both dead. Is that all right?"

Neia Baraja's parents were both dead. If she had asked him, he felt that it would be alright to resurrect them. If doing so would make her even more grateful―

No, that's not right.

Simply put, resurrecting Neia's parents was not worth the cost of doing so. It was plain to see that Neia was sufficiently grateful to him. In that case, there was no need to continue scoring points with her. In addition, Wands of Resurrection were very expensive, so he wanted to save them, if possible. If Pestonya and the others were to use resurrection spells, then she would require gold coins or jewels or other valuables as part of the spell's cost.

In truth, there were practically no benefits to be gained.

However, it would be a different matter if it were Shizu's friend. I wouldn't mind giving Shizu's friend benefits like that.

Because she seemed close to Shizu, he had asked her questions ― both Neia as well as Shizu ― to judge their reactions.

"…It's all right… Special treatment isn't good."

"Really? It would make an excellent present… in that case… well, that's it, then."

In truth, resurrecting the dead ― especially incomplete corpses ― could prove very troublesome. There would be many people who would go How come you could do it for him and not for me? Also, it would be troublesome if he was asked to resurrect the Holy Queen. Granted, Demiurge could probably handle the situation if he did resurrect the Holy Queen, but the demerits outweighed the advantages.

"If you want to play, how about reading that book? Would that be alright?"

"…It's fine… it's in the Doctor's room."

Shizu possessed knowledge on all of Nazarick's mechanisms. Leaving it be like that was too dangerous, and she would not have been able to leave Nazarick.

Therefore he had used [Control Amnesia] on her.

Shizu's knowledge of those mechanisms had been part of the backstory her creator — a Player — had made for her. While he did not know if the spell could work on such things, after casting it on her, he found that the spell worked as intended.

That was a technique Ainz had developed after repeated experiments on a guinea pig he had obtained. It felt like he could do incredible things once he mastered it.

The reason for that was because Ainz had the feeling he might be able to access the core of the NPCs. What exactly were the NPC backstories, the beginning of their memories? Still, that was simply wishful thinking on Ainz's part, and it was very likely that they were completely unrelated. If he wanted to sort that out, he would need to further understand the spell, and understand everything to do with the human memory.

In that case, he would need a lot of guinea pigs and decades to practice and research with, as well as preparing himself for the possibility that it might all be a waste of time.

Still, Shizu had currently been implanted with incorrect memories, so to some extent, she was a trap.

Anyone trying to use Shizu to enter Nazarick would have a very bad time in store for them.

"The Doctor… hm? Can those Shizus move?"

"…If the time comes."

Aren't they just mechanisms, then? Ainz wanted to say that, but he did not. It was just like how Santa Claus's true identity was hidden under a veil of mystery.

While Suzuki Satoru did not remember him ever visiting, he had come to visit in Yggdrasil―

"Although, they were actually the devs."

As Ainz laughed forlornly, he noticed Shizu looking intently at him, and so he said, "I was just talking to myself."

"…Your Majesty."

"Hm?"

"…Your Majesty."

"…What is it, Shizu?"

She had addressed him by his name in the past, but now she had suddenly switched to using his formal address. That slightly ― or rather, greatly ― disturbed Ainz.

"…Been too familiar all this time… is that how it was?"

"What, what are you saying? I'd feel sad if you called me Your Majesty. Ainzsama will do. Frankly speaking, you don't even need the -sama. How about Ainzsan?"

"…That would be rude. I'd get scolded."

"…Oh, I see. Well, you don't need to call me Your Majesty, at least."

"…Got it."

"Oh yes, how about the runecraft thing that I told you about over the [Message]?"

"…I tried."

"I see…"

It would seem it had not gone well. Still, it ought not to be a problem even if it failed.

Still, maybe I should wait to reclaim the items I lent, including that bow Ainz mused idly as he watched Shizu.

When he had left, he had shared his carriage with a girl who kept glaring at him. On his way back, it was a girl with a blank face. Both of them were unique in their own way.

As Ainz thought about this, he smiled.

***

Caspond looked outside from the deepest part of the royal palace ― the Holy King's chambers.

His coronation would be in a few days. Therefore, he had come to this empty room ― including the break room beside this one ― to calm his thoughts.

The first person who would complain, and who would not mind her words was Remedios. She was currently meditating in her home. No, it would not be right to say she was meditating. Rather, she was gathering her strength at home. That was because he intended to have her find any demi-humans that were still hiding within the Holy Kingdom and root them out.

That said, he had still moved to the Holy King's room before the coronation had finished. This was a very good reason for Caspond's enemies to attack him.

He had insisted on doing so even though he knew that because the power struggles had already begun.

The aim was to establish the facts before the anti-Caspond nobles could say anything. Given that Caspond did not quite understand noble society, the ability to tell friend from foe was quite convenient. That too was part of the plan.

"…I'm sure some of the nobles must be unhappy by how I took the throne without making arrangements with the other nobles. That's particularly true for the Southerners ― the ones which he did not oppress. In that case, what will the Northerners I fought with think if I listened to them…"

"They would surely be unhappy, and become a major divisive factor. That way, the plan to divide the country in two will be complete."

Caspond's self-directed mutterings received an answer.

It was a gentle voice that seemed to seep into the heart. It belonged to the entity which was Caspond's superior.

Caspond immediately turned and knelt to the speaker. He bowed, and then raised his head.

"I bid you welcome, Demiurge-sama."

He was not wearing his mask, and he had not changed his appearance before showing up. In other words, he was certain that this place was safe.

"I am here in order to move items back to Nazarick. Are there any problems?"

"None at all. Everything has gone as you have planned, Demiurge-sama."

Caspond smiled, and Demiurge returned it.

"While there were some things which were beyond my expectations, the first phase of the plan has concluded without any problems, thanks to Ainz-sama's actions. I look forward to your good performance in the future."

Caspond's head was bowed, but he knew those words were not true.

Demiurge expected nothing of him. However, if he was about to jump the rails which had been laid for him, he would immediately jump in to correct the plan and keep it on track.

He ought to have prepared several plans for revealing Caspond's true identity.

His instructions had included several items which made him wonder why he had to do them. Those must have been intended to prepare for that moment.

The first phase of the plan was to bring the Abelion Hills and the demihumans under the sway of the Sorcerer Kingdom. Before that, they would exterminate the troublesome species and then plant the seeds of a conflict between the Northern and Southern Holy Kingdom.

After that, Caspond would be in charge of the second phase, which was to bring North and South into opposition, and then conflict.

The final, third phase would be to have the Sorcerer Kingdom step in to take over everything.

"…I have a question regarding the item needed for that, which would be my corpse. Will you keep it here?"

"There is no need for that. It has already been brought to Nazarick. When it is necessary for the plan, it can be brought here."

The true Caspond's body was wrapped in an item known as a Shroud of Sleep, and it had apparently been brought to Nazarick.

This magic item could arrest the decay of a corpse. He had been neatly killed with instant death magic upon capture, and his body had been preserved before rigor mortis could set in. If one touched it, one could still feel traces of his body heat. With that corpse, one would simply assume he had died all of a sudden.

"Allow me to verify something. Do you understand what you ought to do, as Holy King?"

"Yes. In order to make this a country worthy of Ainz-sama, I must make it prosperous."

"Mm, just so. However, you must keep the people unhappy. After all, dissatisfaction is the best spice to welcome a new king."

"Yes," Doppel-Caspond replied. Then he asked Demiurge about a problem that had not been described in his plan.

"Speaking of which, what should we do about that girl?"

That was all Demiurge needed to realize who Doppel-Caspond was talking about, and for the first time his smile came from the heart.

"I once used the word 'unfathomable' to describe Ainz-sama… indeed, that is the case. Ainz-sama has prepared an excellent pawn for me. Her existence has cut years off my plan."

Doppel-Caspond had the feeling that Demiurge's eyes ― he could not tell exactly where he was looking ― had suddenly moved. They seemed to be looking at the wall. And over there is… on that topic Caspond remembered that it was the main gate of the capital.

"While he had said he wanted to enthrall humans to his side… to think he could actually make a girl like that in such a staunchly religious country.

Although, I have no idea why he said it would be fine to kill even a girl to whom he had lent a weapon. No doubt it must have been to force her into the appropriate mental state."

Demiurge seemed to be in a very good mood, and he did not seem to be telling this to anyone in particular. Caspond merely waited in silence for Demiurge to turn his attention back to himself.

"The instruction to help that girl was truly the right answer. No, if it were Ainz-sama, he would surely be able to correct anything that I did. While he did say in the past that he planned to introduce flaws into the plan to test my adaptability, to think he had laid such cunning plans… he is truly the one who united the Supreme Beings. Every time, he shows me how inferior I am compared to him… Kuku, what a cruel master he is."

Demiurge seemed profoundly moved as he shook his head, and the interior of the room was silent. Finally, Demiurge adjusted his collar, as if to bleed off the last of his excitement, and then tightened his tie.

"Support anything Neia Baraja does with everything your position affords you. Do so in the name of giving thanks to Ainz-sama. That ought to further accelerate the conflict between North and South… I will soon hand you plans on what to do if someone tries to interfere with that girl. Until then, act as we have discussed."

"Yes! …But what will become of that girl? Do you intend to make her the next Holy King?"

In that case, he would need to make the appropriate preparations. That said, Demiurge had said he would be giving him exact instructions, so it would be best to do as he was told.

"That is not a bad idea, but it would be better to give her another mission.

While there is no telling if Ainz-sama wishes to be regarded as a god, if he does intend that, then it would be better to prepare for it. The experiment of worshipping Ainz-sama as a god will surely be useful in that case."

"Yes!"

"Now then, is there anything else you would like to take this chance to verify?"

"Yes. It concerns that woman who is no longer necessary, Remedios Custodio. While the original plan was to have her run around as needed, would it not be better to kill her off?"

"No, just keep her alive and let her become a scapegoat for the nobles' dissatisfaction. That was why I said she was the only one who was not to be killed during our first encounter. Transfer her to another post. Let the Vice-Captain become the Captain of the Paladin Corps and then make use of him. He can be put to meaningful work."

"I understand!"

"Deal with her when the conflict becomes evident."

After Doppel-Caspond showed that he understood, Demiurge indicated that the conversation was over, and vanished with [Greater Teleportation].

The demon hiding in his shadow, and the Hanzo that Caspond could never defeat no matter what he tried were still at his disposal.

Doppel-Caspond rose to his feet and looked outside the window again.

While he could only see the courtyard, he imagined he could see the reveling people throughout the city. After that, he laughed mockingly.

"―Enjoy the taste of happiness for a while longer, my people."

====================================