"Sure, I can come over in a week. I am about to go on a mission, so you will have to wait a bit until I sorted everything out." I told Lupusregina, who was definitely using Enri to remind me of my promise to visit her. I wasn't even sure when I made that promise, probably in the beginning when I had encountered her in the hallways. Either way, visiting Enri had been a long time coming, so I might just go now. I was done with almost all my preparations for the country anyway.
After the connection was cut, I approached Neia again, who wasn't able to look me in the eyes and had busied herself with the horses. They had prepared a carriage for me and the newest addition to my team, the human maid, Alyssa, and of course the dullahan, Yuri Alpha.
Fubuki and Sueko were supposed to come with me, but I wasn't going to take Sueko away and let the blueberry bush be unguarded. Fubuki was out and about creating a fellowship among the promising criminals. Aneko wasn't able to come either as she needed to coordinate with Fubuki and orchestra some life-changing 'rescues'.
So, in the end, I was left with Yuri and Alyssa, who looked at me as a savior. Not to sound arrogant, but the eyes of worship weren't anything new by now. However, Alyssa and partly the other people not from Nazarick I encountered on my missions were different.
Just by living in Kalinsha for as long as I already have, had given me the opportunity to meet some interesting and genuine people like the receptionists from the adventurer's guild or the married couple that ran the Hearthstone Restaurant. Of course, in the beginning, some if not most kindness was forced out of them by my existence, but it still made me feel appreciated and valued.
I was able to turn off my influence on them now after gaining my talent back, but they still saw me as some kind of hero. They continued greeting me kindly and wholeheartedly. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, after all, first impressions were kind of important.
"Excited?" I asked Neia, who determinedly had her gaze fixed on the ground.
"Yes, my Lord." Her tone seemed to have changed. Even if the difference was minute, I could tell that the way she said Lord had some different meaning attached to her and for some reason, she felt guilty and conflicted about it.
"Am I right to presume you will be joining me on the carriage?" I stated more than asked as I glanced over toward Roland, who had taken on a captain's position from the looks of it. Perhaps they had considered the fact that I was on amicable terms with him as a judgment of his character? That certainly would be an incentive to promote him.
Obviously, I wasn't sure if it truly was a reaction from Calca and Kelart, but the timing was more than just a bit suspicious, was it not? Though then again why wasn't Neia promoted? ...Most likely the lack of her skills. It would be difficult to justify her promotion.
"If you wish so, I am sure she would feel honored. Right, Neia?" Roland interjected as he noticed her hesitating and urged Neia to answer.
"Of course, if my Lord has use of my presence then thank you for this opportunity," Neia said with a neutral tone, though she was clearly nervous. I just nodded and approached the carriage with Neia in tow before Alyssa opened the door to let us in, while Yuri decided to drive the carriage.
We quickly stepped inside and sat down across from one another. I was sitting close to the window, waving at the paladins, who finished up their preparation for the trip. I sat in the driving direction, while Neia and Alyssa sat on the bench across from me.
After a while the carriage started rolling, making me close the curtain. The insides were lit up by a magical light as well as the outside light shining through the curtains and the opening at the top. I cast a muting spell to prevent any sounds inside from leaking outside before I gently brushed the inside of Neia's leg with my foot.
Alyssa looked at the scene with widened eyes, though her expression quickly grew neutral as she glanced at Neia. "You have been avoiding my gaze… Is it because of what we did in my mansion?" I asked causing her to stiffen again.
The reaction made me pause as I could tell how uncomfortable she was and the tension in her body seemed to convey her desire to jump out of the carriage. Perhaps after turning off my influence on people, she was able to reflect on what happened and decided it was something she hated? It wasn't a likely option as I was pretty sure the charm I had on people wasn't easily brushed off after having a taste of it.
Though that might just be my inflated ego after every beauty fawned over me and told me how great I was and tasted. However, that didn't mean this was impossible. There were all kinds of people, and I knew from the series that she was a troubled woman, who had some conflict with her father. I couldn't remember what had happened between the two, but if it was because of abuse…
"I see. I apologize." I suddenly bowed slightly, gaining two gasps. "I didn't know I made you uncomfortable or I did something you didn't want. Of course, if you don't want to spend any time with me, I completely understand."
After my words hang in the air for a moment, I rose my head again only for me to see Neia directly looking at me with shock in her eyes. The expression eased her murderous look a bit and like anyone else's emotions, hers were completely laid bare for me. "I-" She began with a crack in her voice. "N-no! I don't mind at all. You didn't do anything wrong- Please don't apologize, i-it's me who is at fault. I shouldn't have- I mustn't-"
"Phew, I thought you were so mad at me, you couldn't look me in the eyes," I interrupted her rambling with a relieved tone as I scratched my neck. Seemed like I had thought too much into her reaction. Apparently, she was just nervous, or some misunderstanding was forcing her to act like this. We had some time to clear up the air, so I wasn't worried about going forward now knowing she wasn't opposed to my advances.
"Of course not!" She shook her head and almost hollered it out, making me smile as I could still see her having trouble looking at me directly. Her eyes continued to dart through the carriage's interior.
"Then please call me Azazel. Lord or Sir is a bit much. Ah- Alyssa you too of course."
"Yes, A-Azazel-" "Yes, my lord." Neia looked at Alyssa, who continued to speak formally with wide eyes before snapping her attention back to me to see whether she had failed some sort of test. When she saw me continue to smile and even give her an encouraging nod, she visibly relaxed.
"So, Neia, did you already decide what you want to do?" I asked as she still had to say whether she wanted to be trained by me or not. With the option of becoming a paladin with a bow dangling in front of her eyes, I was sure she would come around soon enough. Of course, there was the possibility of her staying on the sword-master paladin route, but she knew that she wasn't talented in that regard. Perhaps learning from me would be her only choice for fulfilling her dream of becoming a real paladin.
"I…" She began but had difficulties choosing her words as she remained silent for a few more moments. "I have not made up my mind yet. I want to- I mean I really really want to, but this was my dream since my childhood- since I could think. I am not sure if I could just throw this away. I am truly, truly sorry." She bowed deeply and apologized.
"Hmm, I understand if that is what you truly want then so be it. I hope you succeed." I nodded to accept her resolve.
She looked stunned at my response. "Thank you. Y-you are not mad?" She asked rather meekly.
"I am not mad, just disappointed…" When I said that she looked like she had been struck and was now on the verge of turning into a crying mess with the way she bit on her lips. "… I can only give you some options. It is for you to take or deny it. Of course, I would have loved to teach you how to use your bow and arrows with divine energy, but if you want to continue on your path then I don't want to be the one to obstruct your journey."
I said with a smile but instead of being relieved or to continue feeling down, she looked confused with the way her eyebrows furrowed. It honestly looked like she wanted to kill me, but my instincts told me that wasn't the case. "I- but I… Oh, I am sorry Lord Azazel, I didn't mean that. I have decided that I do want to be trained by you!" She asked resolutely. Now it was my time to be confused and I could tell that it was showing in my expression as her eyes widened slightly. We stared at each other slightly as I remained confused and some realization gleamed through her eyes, resulting in a blush on her cheeks.
"Then what were you referring-" "Wow, look at the weather, it's good that we decided to take off today! It would have been bad if we went at any other time!" She opened the curtain on her side and stuck her head out of the carriage to look outside.
I just raised an eyebrow before looking at Alyssa, who was just shrugging in response. I didn't say anything and just waited for her to end the attempt at distraction. It took her about 10 minutes of looking outside while talking nonsense and a paladin asking whether she was alright or needed a bag before she pulled back inside again and closed the curtains. Her cheeks were still red and there were tears at the corner of her eyes.
"Now I am really curious. You are going to tell me what this is all about." I stated without room for discussion as I really disliked these kinds of reactions. I loved my ability to tell lies and what people's intentions were, but in scenarios like these, I felt it was a bit of a liability.
After all, now that something was pointed out to me, I couldn't just ignore it and pretend like I didn't notice anything. Anyone would at least be a bit curious when a friend talked about a secret and stopped midway. It would be difficult to just let it be and pretend one didn't notice the bad segways.
"I…. can I please not tell you?" She asked with her eyes fixed on the ground. Great, we were back to a misunderstanding in the making. I thought about what it could have been about. We had a nice dinner at the Hearthstone Restaurant - at least until the adventurers interrupted us - where I mentioned I would give her some time to consider whether she wanted to be trained by me or not, and afterward we only met once in my mansion again, where I made her watch, me having sex with Fubuki before 'forcing' her into a blowjob.
Now she admitted wanting to be trained by me and that she wasn't mad at me for what we did at the mansion. Perhaps the change in topics had been too fast and she thought I was still referring to our intimate action? But what resulting decision would she have to make? Either way, it was something that had to do with that blowjob, right?
"No, you can't." My answer made her squirm in her seat, and it was clear she really didn't want to say it. However, I continued to remain steadfast. On this trip, there wasn't anything else to do besides talking anyway. Best to clear up any possible misunderstandings and have all the facts at hand than to stumble over these hidden landmines in the future again.
"I-I-I can't be your maid!" She screamed. Fortunately, I had the foresight to muffle the sounds that could get out of the carriage, though that didn't help make me understand how she came to that conclusion. No, I could guess that it was truly because I had been rather demanding when I made her give me a blowjob but wasn't her thought process a bit weird? Did she think I had my maids give me blowjobs... She wasn't wrong, but still!
"Was it just the blowjob that gave you the idea?" Alyssa's eyes widened as I said that, and she took several more glances between Neia and me. When we locked eyes, she looked a bit lost and hurt. "Or was it that I threw you in my bed with Fubuki when you had passed out?" I continued my questioning, only for Alyssa to not get the wrong ideas that I was having an affair, which seemed to be a good call as she breathed easier afterward. Though it didn't seem to completely alleviate her worries for some reason.
"Yes? And that you want to teach me to be stronger and be of use to you. Now we are even going on a trip together and you invited me into the carriage to take care of you… However, I can't accept all this. Your maids are so much better than I could ever be and I'm- I am just me. I'm not worthy and useless. Besides I still want to be a paladin and if I engage in t-this kind of r-relationship, I can't become one!"
"... That's a lot to unpack. First, you thinking you aren't worthy, isn't something for you to decide. I decide it and if I want you, you are qualified. Second, I didn't see you as a maid to be, I would never take such service as a prerequisite. And third, you can still be a paladin regardless of your relationship with me. If you are worried about the Paladin Order giving you trouble because of your status, I can help you with that, so you don't have to worry." I casually waved my hand. With the support of the Queen and the leader of the priesthood, it shouldn't be too difficult to let them influence Remedios.
Neia was too stunned to speak, and Alyssa looked like she was moved to tears. Was it that weird? No, it was them who were weird! I mean, Neia thought that was her initiation as my maid! Who would guess that??
"Thank you." Neia bowed again after coming to herself. "But it's not just that." Her expression turned somber. "As a paladin, I have to have absolute faith in the Paladin Order and the gods, if I take this route then I am not sure if I can keep it intact…"
"Don't worry, my teachings will help you in that regard as well. Even without faith in Your gods, you will be fine. I don't even think you need any gods at all, but don't worry about it." She chewed on her lip as she looked at me. Perhaps thinking that this was something I couldn't do and thus was suspicious about my words.
"Then I accept in being your maid-"
"...Again that wasn't even my intention." I pinched the bridge of my nose, making her shrink into herself.
"Sorry, Lord Azazel." She almost whispered.
"There is nothing to apologize…and drop the lord. Anyway, let's change the subject. Since you want me to teach you, let's talk about your training. First, I have this bow and some arrows for you to start with. They are made out of special material and can easier conduct divine energy…"
…
Stupid! What possessed her to admit that?? She just wanted to stick her head into the ground and die. Of course, it didn't help that she wasn't sure what she was to him now. He emphasized that she wasn't his maid, but what was she then? There was no worse start for their conversation, especially with someone that was just offering her some expert help and of course, doing t-that with her.
Lord Azazel continued to talk about the weapons and her training for the bow. He also gave her some pointers on how to increase her power and posture while shooting. At that point, he had barely gotten into channeling divine energy into her attacks and kept it mostly with the basics.
After the first two hours, he then explained how to connect to a divine domain of a god and use her body to let its energy flow through her to activate her attacks. Theoretically, she should be able to activate some special skills or spells with divine energy. However, he had clearly told her that for the foreseeable future, she was supposed to just imbue her arrows with said energy to inflict 'holy damage'.
Most of the feeling stuff was hard for her to grasp right away, but he said that he had a way to 'let her taste some divine energy' later if she wanted. The way he said it made her think that it might not be as easy as he made it sound. He hadn't told her how she could prepare, just to enter the carriage in the night instead of setting up a tent like the other paladins.
Although she was a bit hesitant to forgo the tent as it would isolate her from the paladins once again, it wasn't something she wasn't used to, so it was a quick decision to make after thinking about it for a moment. Currently, there was no hostility from the other paladins, but they sure avoided her like most did. The only silver lining would be that no one had come to make some snide remarks as they could tell she was 'valued' by Lord Azazel and didn't want to risk upsetting Lord Azazel.
She didn't even know why he had treated her this kindly, offering to help her and not getting mad if she rejected his goodwill and instead came up with alternatives! Something that was completely unlike the usual nobles. It was almost too good to be true and if it weren't for t-that b-b-b... that incident, she would have guessed it would be some sort of trap to lure her in or to mock her for expecting anything.
Until now he had been nothing but kind, and his reputation was excellent in Kalinsha. She had asked around and there weren't any people that were mistreated by him. He had tons of secret admirers, though it seemed that most didn't want to try their luck. Mostly because they were intimidated by him or Fubuki, making them insecure to approach. There were some that did approach him, but afterward, no one said anything bad despite being let down.
He was like a prince charming, with the looks and strength of a living myth. The more she found out about him, the less she understood how she was able to experience that time. Even getting his attention should have been an impossibility. Truthfully, that night she had thought she had found a new purpose in life, and it took her a lot of time just to calm down and remember what she had dreamed of.
She looked at him as he peeked out of the curtains during their little break, the sunlight of the midday sun lit up his face before turning to her with a gentle smile on his face. Her heart was beating rapidly. As she looked at his face, she remembered how he looked at her when his d-d-d thing t-touched her throat- "Seems like there is a commotion outside, should we take a look?"
"Y-yes, it is best to know what is going on if we want to react quickly." She explained to which he just responded with a nod. She then remembered who she was talking to. An Orichalcum Adventurer with a high- no, an absolute guarantee to advance to Adamantite. Of course, he knew something basic like that and didn't need her to point it out.
Once again, he just agreed with her instead of reprimanding her. She inwardly slapped her cheeks and told herself to calm down. Fortunately, his presence wasn't as overwhelming as it had been when he… came and she could continue to converse with him. She was thankful for the small mercies.
"Then let's go. Equip your bow and be ready to shoot an arrow." She nodded and immediately pulled the bow close to her while taking out an arrow from her quiver as she stepped outside the carriage first, nocking the arrow as she surveyed the surroundings. The paladins were scattered around to best protect the carriage in case of an accident, while two went to the trees that had fallen directly on the pathway.
With the dense forest surrounding them, there weren't many ways they could take with the carriage. Either they went back and took another route, or they removed the trees and continued on their path. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lord Azazel and Yuri exchange glances before he walked towards the trees, making her panic, "Wait, Lord Azazel. It's not safe." She said as she kept up with his pace.
"Yes, please fall back until we have secured the surroundings." Roland agreed as he approached on top of his horse, though it seemed that Lord Azazel had different plans as he continued to walk toward the trees.
"Don't worry about me…" He began as he waved their concern off nonchalantly. "… this is a cooperation and not an escort mission. I could hardly make you do all the work by yourself." A few meters behind the paladins who were looking at the few trees to see whether it had fallen naturally or it was a man-made incident.
Lord Azazel stretched out his hand which was accompanied by a green mist-like aura before he made a grabbing motion toward the trees. The few trees suddenly were indented and several branches snapped as if an invisible hand was grabbing them before they were moved away from the street, following Lord Azazel's hand motions.
"Although I am not that good yet, Fubuki did teach me a thing or two." Unbelievable. Not only was he immensely skilled physically with his spear and sword, but could cast spells as well? Silently at that! Paladins were able to cast certain spells that worked with divine energy, but this was purely arcane, or rather that was what Neia suspected since it was something Fubuki had taught him.
"We should be good to go now." He said casually as he walked back to the carriage. A glance at the other paladins made her realize she wasn't the only one that had been impressed by the show of skills.
Afterward, they continued on their way as they quickly recovered from their stupor. He was a high-ranking adventurer that seemed to have entered the realm of heroes already, so common sense couldn't be applied to him. That was what they all thought and accepted. For the next few hours until nightfall, they continued on their way before setting up camp.
It would take another day's worth of travel until they arrived at the ruins. A ruin that was now occupied by some ant-like monsters with the worrying ability to multiply rapidly.
…
Ainz had wondered whether he should contact Azazel again, though he didn't want to come across as a boss trying to inspect his work. However, now that he had gotten the report from Lupusregina about the progress of the village. The community seemed to be growing under Enri's guiding hand and the attempts of the magic potion continued to improve.
He was happy to hear about it and surprised at Enri's competence as a leader, though he wouldn't deny that it had made him self-conscious again, but that wasn't what he was focusing on. Lupusregina had mentioned that Enri voiced the desire to meet Azazel again. Ainz ignored the fact that she didn't mention him and focused on Azazel's positive response and announcement that he would visit the village in a few days.
So, with that in mind, he contacted Azazel after he had mentally gone through the things he wanted to say. "…Lord Ainz?" Azazel questioned after the connection had been established.
"Yes, it is I…" He wanted to cringe, but he powered through. "Do you have a moment?" Ainz asked, not wanting to disturb the prince during his important mission that surely required his full focus. If it had been any other NPC, they would have dropped everything just to accept his call, but he imagined that the diligent prince would continue to work while talking with him.
"But I am a bit busy, but I do have a moment." He answered a bit strenuously, confirming his thoughts of him performing something difficult.
"I had heard that you wanted to visit the village girl and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the progress of some experiments that I had ordered to be conducted there. I thought it would be nice to check in personally and your insights would be invaluable, so I figured we should take a look together."
"S-sure. Neia, I am coming- with her." He said breathless. "I will arrive with a soon-to-be paladin of the Holy Kingdom, see you then! A bit busy at the moment!" He then cut the connection, stunning Ainz for a moment. That cut-off could be seen as rather rude… instead of getting angry it made him a bit giddy to meet up with him again. Just talking with him was refreshing.
Though... who was Neia? Ainz thought for a moment as he seemed to recall something. He then stepped up and walked to all the reports he had gotten until now. "... Hm, here. A scribe for the Paladin Order? So, he is visiting with his adventurer persona? Perhaps he should go as Momon as well. With that in mind, he made a call to Narberal, "Hello Naberal, we are going to Carne Village again- No, it's because Azazel will be- Yes, he will be there. Right, okay. Happy... shopping."
He sat there for a moment, contemplating. Why did he feel like a side character?
"Sure, I can come over in a week. I am about to go on a mission, so you will have to wait a bit until I sorted everything out." I told Lupusregina, who was definitely using Enri to remind me of my promise to visit her. I wasn't even sure when I made that promise, probably in the beginning when I had encountered her in the hallways. Either way, visiting Enri had been a long time coming, so I might just go now. I was done with almost all my preparations for the country anyway.
After the connection was cut, I approached Neia again, who wasn't able to look me in the eyes and had busied herself with the horses. They had prepared a carriage for me and the newest addition to my team, the human maid, Alyssa, and of course the dullahan, Yuri Alpha.
Fubuki and Sueko were supposed to come with me, but I wasn't going to take Sueko away and let the blueberry bush be unguarded. Fubuki was out and about creating a fellowship among the promising criminals. Aneko wasn't able to come either as she needed to coordinate with Fubuki and orchestra some life-changing 'rescues'.
So, in the end, I was left with Yuri and Alyssa, who looked at me as a savior. Not to sound arrogant, but the eyes of worship weren't anything new by now. However, Alyssa and partly the other people not from Nazarick I encountered on my missions were different.
Just by living in Kalinsha for as long as I already have, had given me the opportunity to meet some interesting and genuine people like the receptionists from the adventurer's guild or the married couple that ran the Hearthstone Restaurant. Of course, in the beginning, some if not most kindness was forced out of them by my existence, but it still made me feel appreciated and valued.
I was able to turn off my influence on them now after gaining my talent back, but they still saw me as some kind of hero. They continued greeting me kindly and wholeheartedly. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised, after all, first impressions were kind of important.
"Excited?" I asked Neia, who determinedly had her gaze fixed on the ground.
"Yes, my Lord." Her tone seemed to have changed. Even if the difference was minute, I could tell that the way she said Lord had some different meaning attached to her and for some reason, she felt guilty and conflicted about it.
"Am I right to presume you will be joining me on the carriage?" I stated more than asked as I glanced over toward Roland, who had taken on a captain's position from the looks of it. Perhaps they had considered the fact that I was on amicable terms with him as a judgment of his character? That certainly would be an incentive to promote him.
Obviously, I wasn't sure if it truly was a reaction from Calca and Kelart, but the timing was more than just a bit suspicious, was it not? Though then again why wasn't Neia promoted? ...Most likely the lack of her skills. It would be difficult to justify her promotion.
"If you wish so, I am sure she would feel honored. Right, Neia?" Roland interjected as he noticed her hesitating and urged Neia to answer.
"Of course, if my Lord has use of my presence then thank you for this opportunity," Neia said with a neutral tone, though she was clearly nervous. I just nodded and approached the carriage with Neia in tow before Alyssa opened the door to let us in, while Yuri decided to drive the carriage.
We quickly stepped inside and sat down across from one another. I was sitting close to the window, waving at the paladins, who finished up their preparation for the trip. I sat in the driving direction, while Neia and Alyssa sat on the bench across from me.
After a while the carriage started rolling, making me close the curtain. The insides were lit up by a magical light as well as the outside light shining through the curtains and the opening at the top. I cast a muting spell to prevent any sounds inside from leaking outside before I gently brushed the inside of Neia's leg with my foot.
Alyssa looked at the scene with widened eyes, though her expression quickly grew neutral as she glanced at Neia. "You have been avoiding my gaze… Is it because of what we did in my mansion?" I asked causing her to stiffen again.
The reaction made me pause as I could tell how uncomfortable she was and the tension in her body seemed to convey her desire to jump out of the carriage. Perhaps after turning off my influence on people, she was able to reflect on what happened and decided it was something she hated? It wasn't a likely option as I was pretty sure the charm I had on people wasn't easily brushed off after having a taste of it.
Though that might just be my inflated ego after every beauty fawned over me and told me how great I was and tasted. However, that didn't mean this was impossible. There were all kinds of people, and I knew from the series that she was a troubled woman, who had some conflict with her father. I couldn't remember what had happened between the two, but if it was because of abuse…
"I see. I apologize." I suddenly bowed slightly, gaining two gasps. "I didn't know I made you uncomfortable or I did something you didn't want. Of course, if you don't want to spend any time with me, I completely understand."
After my words hang in the air for a moment, I rose my head again only for me to see Neia directly looking at me with shock in her eyes. The expression eased her murderous look a bit and like anyone else's emotions, hers were completely laid bare for me. "I-" She began with a crack in her voice. "N-no! I don't mind at all. You didn't do anything wrong- Please don't apologize, i-it's me who is at fault. I shouldn't have- I mustn't-"
"Phew, I thought you were so mad at me, you couldn't look me in the eyes," I interrupted her rambling with a relieved tone as I scratched my neck. Seemed like I had thought too much into her reaction. Apparently, she was just nervous, or some misunderstanding was forcing her to act like this. We had some time to clear up the air, so I wasn't worried about going forward now knowing she wasn't opposed to my advances.
"Of course not!" She shook her head and almost hollered it out, making me smile as I could still see her having trouble looking at me directly. Her eyes continued to dart through the carriage's interior.
"Then please call me Azazel. Lord or Sir is a bit much. Ah- Alyssa you too of course."
"Yes, A-Azazel-" "Yes, my lord." Neia looked at Alyssa, who continued to speak formally with wide eyes before snapping her attention back to me to see whether she had failed some sort of test. When she saw me continue to smile and even give her an encouraging nod, she visibly relaxed.
"So, Neia, did you already decide what you want to do?" I asked as she still had to say whether she wanted to be trained by me or not. With the option of becoming a paladin with a bow dangling in front of her eyes, I was sure she would come around soon enough. Of course, there was the possibility of her staying on the sword-master paladin route, but she knew that she wasn't talented in that regard. Perhaps learning from me would be her only choice for fulfilling her dream of becoming a real paladin.
"I…" She began but had difficulties choosing her words as she remained silent for a few more moments. "I have not made up my mind yet. I want to- I mean I really really want to, but this was my dream since my childhood- since I could think. I am not sure if I could just throw this away. I am truly, truly sorry." She bowed deeply and apologized.
"Hmm, I understand if that is what you truly want then so be it. I hope you succeed." I nodded to accept her resolve.
She looked stunned at my response. "Thank you. Y-you are not mad?" She asked rather meekly.
"I am not mad, just disappointed…" When I said that she looked like she had been struck and was now on the verge of turning into a crying mess with the way she bit on her lips. "… I can only give you some options. It is for you to take or deny it. Of course, I would have loved to teach you how to use your bow and arrows with divine energy, but if you want to continue on your path then I don't want to be the one to obstruct your journey."
I said with a smile but instead of being relieved or to continue feeling down, she looked confused with the way her eyebrows furrowed. It honestly looked like she wanted to kill me, but my instincts told me that wasn't the case. "I- but I… Oh, I am sorry Lord Azazel, I didn't mean that. I have decided that I do want to be trained by you!" She asked resolutely. Now it was my time to be confused and I could tell that it was showing in my expression as her eyes widened slightly. We stared at each other slightly as I remained confused and some realization gleamed through her eyes, resulting in a blush on her cheeks.
"Then what were you referring-" "Wow, look at the weather, it's good that we decided to take off today! It would have been bad if we went at any other time!" She opened the curtain on her side and stuck her head out of the carriage to look outside.
I just raised an eyebrow before looking at Alyssa, who was just shrugging in response. I didn't say anything and just waited for her to end the attempt at distraction. It took her about 10 minutes of looking outside while talking nonsense and a paladin asking whether she was alright or needed a bag before she pulled back inside again and closed the curtains. Her cheeks were still red and there were tears at the corner of her eyes.
"Now I am really curious. You are going to tell me what this is all about." I stated without room for discussion as I really disliked these kinds of reactions. I loved my ability to tell lies and what people's intentions were, but in scenarios like these, I felt it was a bit of a liability.
After all, now that something was pointed out to me, I couldn't just ignore it and pretend like I didn't notice anything. Anyone would at least be a bit curious when a friend talked about a secret and stopped midway. It would be difficult to just let it be and pretend one didn't notice the bad segways.
"I…. can I please not tell you?" She asked with her eyes fixed on the ground. Great, we were back to a misunderstanding in the making. I thought about what it could have been about. We had a nice dinner at the Hearthstone Restaurant - at least until the adventurers interrupted us - where I mentioned I would give her some time to consider whether she wanted to be trained by me or not, and afterward we only met once in my mansion again, where I made her watch, me having sex with Fubuki before 'forcing' her into a blowjob.
Now she admitted wanting to be trained by me and that she wasn't mad at me for what we did at the mansion. Perhaps the change in topics had been too fast and she thought I was still referring to our intimate action? But what resulting decision would she have to make? Either way, it was something that had to do with that blowjob, right?
"No, you can't." My answer made her squirm in her seat, and it was clear she really didn't want to say it. However, I continued to remain steadfast. On this trip, there wasn't anything else to do besides talking anyway. Best to clear up any possible misunderstandings and have all the facts at hand than to stumble over these hidden landmines in the future again.
"I-I-I can't be your maid!" She screamed. Fortunately, I had the foresight to muffle the sounds that could get out of the carriage, though that didn't help make me understand how she came to that conclusion. No, I could guess that it was truly because I had been rather demanding when I made her give me a blowjob but wasn't her thought process a bit weird? Did she think I had my maids give me blowjobs... She wasn't wrong, but still!
"Was it just the blowjob that gave you the idea?" Alyssa's eyes widened as I said that, and she took several more glances between Neia and me. When we locked eyes, she looked a bit lost and hurt. "Or was it that I threw you in my bed with Fubuki when you had passed out?" I continued my questioning, only for Alyssa to not get the wrong ideas that I was having an affair, which seemed to be a good call as she breathed easier afterward. Though it didn't seem to completely alleviate her worries for some reason.
"Yes? And that you want to teach me to be stronger and be of use to you. Now we are even going on a trip together and you invited me into the carriage to take care of you… However, I can't accept all this. Your maids are so much better than I could ever be and I'm- I am just me. I'm not worthy and useless. Besides I still want to be a paladin and if I engage in t-this kind of r-relationship, I can't become one!"
"... That's a lot to unpack. First, you thinking you aren't worthy, isn't something for you to decide. I decide it and if I want you, you are qualified. Second, I didn't see you as a maid to be, I would never take such service as a prerequisite. And third, you can still be a paladin regardless of your relationship with me. If you are worried about the Paladin Order giving you trouble because of your status, I can help you with that, so you don't have to worry." I casually waved my hand. With the support of the Queen and the leader of the priesthood, it shouldn't be too difficult to let them influence Remedios.
Neia was too stunned to speak, and Alyssa looked like she was moved to tears. Was it that weird? No, it was them who were weird! I mean, Neia thought that was her initiation as my maid! Who would guess that??
"Thank you." Neia bowed again after coming to herself. "But it's not just that." Her expression turned somber. "As a paladin, I have to have absolute faith in the Paladin Order and the gods, if I take this route then I am not sure if I can keep it intact…"
"Don't worry, my teachings will help you in that regard as well. Even without faith in Your gods, you will be fine. I don't even think you need any gods at all, but don't worry about it." She chewed on her lip as she looked at me. Perhaps thinking that this was something I couldn't do and thus was suspicious about my words.
"Then I accept in being your maid-"
"...Again that wasn't even my intention." I pinched the bridge of my nose, making her shrink into herself.
"Sorry, Lord Azazel." She almost whispered.
"There is nothing to apologize…and drop the lord. Anyway, let's change the subject. Since you want me to teach you, let's talk about your training. First, I have this bow and some arrows for you to start with. They are made out of special material and can easier conduct divine energy…"
…
Stupid! What possessed her to admit that?? She just wanted to stick her head into the ground and die. Of course, it didn't help that she wasn't sure what she was to him now. He emphasized that she wasn't his maid, but what was she then? There was no worse start for their conversation, especially with someone that was just offering her some expert help and of course, doing t-that with her.
Lord Azazel continued to talk about the weapons and her training for the bow. He also gave her some pointers on how to increase her power and posture while shooting. At that point, he had barely gotten into channeling divine energy into her attacks and kept it mostly with the basics.
After the first two hours, he then explained how to connect to a divine domain of a god and use her body to let its energy flow through her to activate her attacks. Theoretically, she should be able to activate some special skills or spells with divine energy. However, he had clearly told her that for the foreseeable future, she was supposed to just imbue her arrows with said energy to inflict 'holy damage'.
Most of the feeling stuff was hard for her to grasp right away, but he said that he had a way to 'let her taste some divine energy' later if she wanted. The way he said it made her think that it might not be as easy as he made it sound. He hadn't told her how she could prepare, just to enter the carriage in the night instead of setting up a tent like the other paladins.
Although she was a bit hesitant to forgo the tent as it would isolate her from the paladins once again, it wasn't something she wasn't used to, so it was a quick decision to make after thinking about it for a moment. Currently, there was no hostility from the other paladins, but they sure avoided her like most did. The only silver lining would be that no one had come to make some snide remarks as they could tell she was 'valued' by Lord Azazel and didn't want to risk upsetting Lord Azazel.
She didn't even know why he had treated her this kindly, offering to help her and not getting mad if she rejected his goodwill and instead came up with alternatives! Something that was completely unlike the usual nobles. It was almost too good to be true and if it weren't for t-that b-b-b... that incident, she would have guessed it would be some sort of trap to lure her in or to mock her for expecting anything.
Until now he had been nothing but kind, and his reputation was excellent in Kalinsha. She had asked around and there weren't any people that were mistreated by him. He had tons of secret admirers, though it seemed that most didn't want to try their luck. Mostly because they were intimidated by him or Fubuki, making them insecure to approach. There were some that did approach him, but afterward, no one said anything bad despite being let down.
He was like a prince charming, with the looks and strength of a living myth. The more she found out about him, the less she understood how she was able to experience that time. Even getting his attention should have been an impossibility. Truthfully, that night she had thought she had found a new purpose in life, and it took her a lot of time just to calm down and remember what she had dreamed of.
She looked at him as he peeked out of the curtains during their little break, the sunlight of the midday sun lit up his face before turning to her with a gentle smile on his face. Her heart was beating rapidly. As she looked at his face, she remembered how he looked at her when his d-d-d thing t-touched her throat- "Seems like there is a commotion outside, should we take a look?"
"Y-yes, it is best to know what is going on if we want to react quickly." She explained to which he just responded with a nod. She then remembered who she was talking to. An Orichalcum Adventurer with a high- no, an absolute guarantee to advance to Adamantite. Of course, he knew something basic like that and didn't need her to point it out.
Once again, he just agreed with her instead of reprimanding her. She inwardly slapped her cheeks and told herself to calm down. Fortunately, his presence wasn't as overwhelming as it had been when he… came and she could continue to converse with him. She was thankful for the small mercies.
"Then let's go. Equip your bow and be ready to shoot an arrow." She nodded and immediately pulled the bow close to her while taking out an arrow from her quiver as she stepped outside the carriage first, nocking the arrow as she surveyed the surroundings. The paladins were scattered around to best protect the carriage in case of an accident, while two went to the trees that had fallen directly on the pathway.
With the dense forest surrounding them, there weren't many ways they could take with the carriage. Either they went back and took another route, or they removed the trees and continued on their path. From the corner of her eyes, she saw Lord Azazel and Yuri exchange glances before he walked towards the trees, making her panic, "Wait, Lord Azazel. It's not safe." She said as she kept up with his pace.
"Yes, please fall back until we have secured the surroundings." Roland agreed as he approached on top of his horse, though it seemed that Lord Azazel had different plans as he continued to walk toward the trees.
"Don't worry about me…" He began as he waved their concern off nonchalantly. "… this is a cooperation and not an escort mission. I could hardly make you do all the work by yourself." A few meters behind the paladins who were looking at the few trees to see whether it had fallen naturally or it was a man-made incident.
Lord Azazel stretched out his hand which was accompanied by a green mist-like aura before he made a grabbing motion toward the trees. The few trees suddenly were indented and several branches snapped as if an invisible hand was grabbing them before they were moved away from the street, following Lord Azazel's hand motions.
"Although I am not that good yet, Fubuki did teach me a thing or two." Unbelievable. Not only was he immensely skilled physically with his spear and sword, but could cast spells as well? Silently at that! Paladins were able to cast certain spells that worked with divine energy, but this was purely arcane, or rather that was what Neia suspected since it was something Fubuki had taught him.
"We should be good to go now." He said casually as he walked back to the carriage. A glance at the other paladins made her realize she wasn't the only one that had been impressed by the show of skills.
Afterward, they continued on their way as they quickly recovered from their stupor. He was a high-ranking adventurer that seemed to have entered the realm of heroes already, so common sense couldn't be applied to him. That was what they all thought and accepted. For the next few hours until nightfall, they continued on their way before setting up camp.
It would take another day's worth of travel until they arrived at the ruins. A ruin that was now occupied by some ant-like monsters with the worrying ability to multiply rapidly.
…
Ainz had wondered whether he should contact Azazel again, though he didn't want to come across as a boss trying to inspect his work. However, now that he had gotten the report from Lupusregina about the progress of the village. The community seemed to be growing under Enri's guiding hand and the attempts of the magic potion continued to improve.
He was happy to hear about it and surprised at Enri's competence as a leader, though he wouldn't deny that it had made him self-conscious again, but that wasn't what he was focusing on. Lupusregina had mentioned that Enri voiced the desire to meet Azazel again. Ainz ignored the fact that she didn't mention him and focused on Azazel's positive response and announcement that he would visit the village in a few days.
So, with that in mind, he contacted Azazel after he had mentally gone through the things he wanted to say. "…Lord Ainz?" Azazel questioned after the connection had been established.
"Yes, it is I…" He wanted to cringe, but he powered through. "Do you have a moment?" Ainz asked, not wanting to disturb the prince during his important mission that surely required his full focus. If it had been any other NPC, they would have dropped everything just to accept his call, but he imagined that the diligent prince would continue to work while talking with him.
"But I am a bit busy, but I do have a moment." He answered a bit strenuously, confirming his thoughts of him performing something difficult.
"I had heard that you wanted to visit the village girl and I thought it would be a good opportunity to see the progress of some experiments that I had ordered to be conducted there. I thought it would be nice to check in personally and your insights would be invaluable, so I figured we should take a look together."
"S-sure. Neia, I am coming- with her." He said breathless. "I will arrive with a soon-to-be paladin of the Holy Kingdom, see you then! A bit busy at the moment!" He then cut the connection, stunning Ainz for a moment. That cut-off could be seen as rather rude… instead of getting angry it made him a bit giddy to meet up with him again. Just talking with him was refreshing.
Though... who was Neia? Ainz thought for a moment as he seemed to recall something. He then stepped up and walked to all the reports he had gotten until now. "... Hm, here. A scribe for the Paladin Order? So, he is visiting with his adventurer persona? Perhaps he should go as Momon as well. With that in mind, he made a call to Narberal, "Hello Naberal, we are going to Carne Village again- No, it's because Azazel will be- Yes, he will be there. Right, okay. Happy... shopping."
He sat there for a moment, contemplating. Why did he feel like a side character?
