Neia Baraja, an aspiring paladin knight whose father was the infamous Mad-eye ranger who was also the one to attack Jaldabaoth first and then to immediately due to a meteor.
She inherited her father's strange and wide eyes which although it let her see better in the dark than most, it also became a cause of the repulsion she suffers.
But ever since coming to this Sorcerer Kingdom, there has been one person who has tried to even forge a connection with her. And that person was sitting right across her, a figure of an equal standing to the Holy Queen... maybe even greater.
Ainz Ooal Gown, at the beginning she thought that the Undead King will be like most undead, cold and full of hatred for the living. But as time went by and as she saw how this Overlord carried himself, she the real truth.
His Majesty, the Sorcerer King was surprisingly a kind king. He was even ready to assist them, a foreign country by going there himself.
Although there was a agenda of personal vendetta of the past, she selectively chose to believe it to be a front to help them. She thought, that with his strength, sending one of the generals would be enough.
Maybe even, that Hyortr. She did hear that he was the one responsible for the Katze Plains Massacre.
The mere thought brought upon her a small but noticeable shiver down her spine thinking of the destruction that spell caused.
This shiver, didn't go unnoticed by Ainz who was internally struggling to start a conversation.
"Miss Baraja, do you fear me?" He asked, what he thought was a logical question when people saw him.
"Ahh! No!no! Your majesty! Why would I fear you? Infact..I think you are too kind.." Baraja replied as she looked at the Overlord.
"I-I see... W-well, I did say I would join you to help defeat Jaldabaoth, but, I will only engage him in a fight. Freeing your people will be the task of you." Ainz spoke.
"Yes, your majesty." Neia nodded firmly.
"Say, how long will this journey take us?"
"It should take ten days..."
"Ahh, then Miss Baraja. I would like to know more about you. And have you heard of runes?"
The travel continued as Ainz and Neia engaged in a conversation throughout the journey.
----
As they reached the Roble Kingdom, the envoy entered a secluded cave litered with glowing fungus and crystals. Rudimentary tents were raised as the knights got off their horses.
Inside a large tent, a meeting was held.
"Your Majesty, we apologise for this shabby living situation. We couldn't afford to give you a proper accommodation." Gustav said regrettably as he looked at Ainz.
"It's fine Gustav dono. Since the Queen is not here, then am I to believe the Holy Queen is ..." Ainz deduced.
Remedios, who told Baraja, to not disclose any sensetive information to Ainz glared at her, who in turn shook her head frantically.
"Ah-yes ... during the seige Jaldabaoth was seen capturing her Highness. We have reasons to believe that she is kept captive somewhere." Gustave seeing no further need to hide such things, spoke.
"I see..." Ainz nodded as they discussed further.
The plan formed after were as follows.
They would gradually free the cities they encountered on their way to the capital. The first is which was a small fortress city called Loyt. They gained prior information that the royal family was kept hidden here and this the March to recapture Loyt began.
On a side note, and as a side project, Ainz secretly gifted Neia a rune crafted bow called Ultimate Shooting Shooting Star Bow.
Upon reaching the fortress city, Remedios launched a fierce seige with the help of the mages, angels and knights but the commander of the demihumans in the fortress threatened to kill a human child if they didn't surrender.
A few minutes passed as Remedios and Gustav argued about what to in this situation. Remedios believed that they couldn't abandon the lives of the poor humans as a knights as doing against that will not be the Justice they upheld.
But Gustav along with Ainz reasoned that killing one human would save the many others inside the fortress which Remedios found disgusting.
Ainz, seeing that the situation will not reach a decisive decision, decided to act himself, directly destroying the gate, decimating the demi-human guards and killing the human child.
As the knights marched forward to reclaim the city, Ainz slowly walked towards the child's lifeless corpse. Neia following him saw the malnourished father of the child rush towards them.
"My child!!" Drawn to his dead child's state, the father completely forgot to look up at the person beside him.
"Are you his father." When Ainz asked this question, the father then looked up to then quickly back away.
"Mo-monster?!"
"I killed your child." Unfazed by the scream, Ainz continued. His words bringing the father of the son back to clarity.
"Yo-you killed m-.."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because it saved your lives." Ainz said as he turned towards the other freed humans looking at them in the distance.
"Saved...us?" The father spoke, not fully taking the words, still shaken by the death of his son.
"Yes.. do you regret it?" Ainz asked.
"What?" Taken aback by the strange question the father asked.
"Living in place of your son?" Ainz reiterated.
"Ofcourse I do!! What kind of parent wishes for their child to die before them?!" Suddenly the father screamed as he looked fiercely at the Overlord.
"Then why didn't you die for him?"
Calm, Ainz asked once again.
"What?"
"Why didn't you protect your son, till the end? Why did you let them take him away?"
"What could I have done? They would have killed me.." The father dejectedly said, his head hung low as if the weight of the world was crashing on him.
"Then you should have died."
"You..can say this because you are strong. What could we, the weak do about it?"
"Yes, I am stronger than you. Thus I have the right to say such things. But, let me ask you, if you were strong would you have tried to protect him?"
"Yes!" Immediately, the father answered.
"Then, you should have been strong."
Ainz spoke as he left, leaving the father, the crowd, and Neia stunned.
"To be strong..." Neia muttered to herself as she looked at the figure of the Overlord.
All these things occurred as Hyortr silently watched through the Remote Viewing Magic Mirror. His mind laughing at how unintentionally, Ainz was creating a Prophet.
"Well, let's begin the modified plan then." Hyortr muttered to himself as he messaged Demiurge.
Back in the fortress city of Loyt.
After the successful recapture of the city, aarge army of Demihumans attacked the city once again. After a brief moment of disadvantages that seemed like the humans would loose, Ainz stepped in, effortlessly clearing the demi humans, making himself the hero of the play. Afterwards he went to meet with survivor of the royal family.
As Ainz met and talked with the brother is the Holy Queen Calca. A large explosion occured in the chamber. Out of the flames, emerged Wrath, disguised as Jaldabaoth as he looked at the puny humans and a Supreme Being.
"Hahahah, so they enlisted the help of the Sorcerer King huh?!" Jaldabaoth laughed as he followed the script.
"Sorcerer King!! Megaanum ago, you managed to take away part of my power. But with the help of Orovas and his Void Powers, I will now regain that lost power! The I completely wipe out this world along with you!!" Jaldabaoth cackled madly as he declared his 'intentions' like a true villain.
"You will be defeated here demon!!" Remedios, still brash and fierce, rushed with her sword raised.
"Nuisance!!" Jaldabaoth laughed as he striked her with the burnt corpse he was holding till now.
The corpse, burnt completely, scattered into flesh as it collided with her. Remedios, seeing the chunks of meat laying on the ground lost her sanity as she remembered that dreaded night.
"P-princess...nn-o, no, no ,no!! Ahaaaah!!" Remedios unable to hold her tears cried as she hugged the pieces of meat she would have called Her Majesty.
"What a great scream!!" Jaldabaoth savoured the wails as laughes menacingly.
"Are you not done yet?" A sudden voice sounded as Orovas with his floating prismatic spear appeared behind Jaldabaoth.
His eyes of contempt, with his hands crossed behind him stared at the Overlord.
"So, you have finally woken. Your Majesty." Orovas spoke as he gave a slight theatrical bow.
"Orovas..."Ainz heavily spoke as he looked at the figure.
"Are you still angry Lord Ainz? Well, how is Hyortr doing? I sure hope he is fine." Orovas unfazed of Ainz's glare laughed.
"Hyortr would gladly kill you." Ainz spoke.
"I see!" Amused, Orovas replied. " Well, Lord Ainz. I must say, you have done well. Wasting your mana for these insignificant worms. And I must thank you insects too, to be so weak."
"And because of your fragile lives, Lord Ainz has depleted his mana, allowing us to trap him here!" Orovas exaggeratedly spoke. As soon as he finished speaking, a brilliant aroura of light surrounded the city.
"N-no!" Neia gasped as she realisesd the implications of the words.
★★★★★★★