If she could have asked her mother, her doubt might have vanished, but her mother was already gone.
I have no choice but to answer for myself.
While Neia was pondering all that, the conversation continued. It was decided that a pair would go to the shrine of the Four Gods, and several other pairs would see the city and gather intel. Remedios and the others would stay behind at the inn so they could be easily contacted in case anything happened.
As expected, Neia was ordered to polish armor.
The meeting ended and Neia began caring for each suit of armor one at a time.
Wetting a cloth with cold water, she wiped the mud off.
Since the armor was enchanted, there were no scratches or dings. If there were any, they would need to be hammered out from the inside, and if the maintenance person wasn’t careful, it would end up more uneven than it started. Neia wasn’t terribly confident with such delicate work, so she was thankful she got to maintain the enchanted armor of the paladins.
She appreciated having a job she could do with a blank mind. She didn’t have to think too hard about anything.
Sweat beading on her forehead, she finished going over everyone’s armor.
•
The audience with the King of Darkness came together so quickly Neia couldn’t hide her surprise. They were able to meet him the day after Gustav went to inquire.
The palace the party of knights arrived at—with Neia bringing up the rear—was awfully shabby. Maybe for the leader of the city it would have been grand, but it wasn’t enough for a king. It had none of the calm of history, none of the solemnity, none of the whimsy of a powerful individual; it was built only in the pursuit of practicality.
Compared to the palaces of Re-Estize and Roebel, it was just so sad. And it was the King of Darkness’s residence. This used to be a frontier city in the kingdom, so he had probably simply occupied an existing building.
In the profiles of the paladins with their helmets removed was a faint condescending air only Neia could detect. They must have been comparing this place to the palace back home.
Who could blame them?
But Neia remembered the ghost ship and the undead they had seen patrolling the streets.
Why was a ruler who could control such powerful undead living in such a shabby palace?
There must be a reason… If he wanted a splendid palace, he could have those dwarven craftsmen and tireless undead workers build one…
Through the gate, two lines of undead she hadn’t seen before stood facing each other. They were slimmer than the ones they had first encountered on the way into the city and held their spears aloft so that they crisscrossed.
The line on the right had the flag of the Nation of Darkness tied to the end, while the left side’s featured the flag of the Sacred Kingdom.
The setup was such that the path led them beneath the flags.
And there was music. It was a song she had never heard before, but she figured it was fine to just accept it as part of the ceremony.
A lecture from a long time ago rose up from the depths of her memory.
Always keep your wits about when faced with magic.
But still, this music couldn’t be an attack spell. If this were a trap, they didn’t need to be flying Roebel’s flag.
Neia put on a brave front as she walked forward, glancing side to side with her eyes only.
An honor guard and the Sacred Kingdom flag. That definitely meant that the Nation of Darkness was welcoming them as state guests. Which meant Neia and the others were being accepted as official messengers from the Sacred Kingdom. Which meant that Neia was representing her country.
Though it made her happy, the pressure gave her a nervous stomachache.
At the end of the path draped with flags was—Neia gasped.
A peerless beauty.
How pretty… She’s just so pretty…
Piercing, gorgeous features. A spotless white dress that cost who knew how much.
Her smile was so full of compassion Neia could have mistaken her for an angel. But the proof that she wasn’t an angel was the pair of black wings sprouting from her hips.
“Welcome, representatives of the Sacred Kingdom. Please allow me to introduce myself. I am Albedo, captain of the floor and domain guardians in the Nation of Darkness, Ainz Ooal Gown. To put it in terms you can easily understand, I’m the prime minister.”
“Th-thank you for the thorough introduction. I am the leader of the delegation from the Sacred Kingdom, Remedios Custodio. Thank you very much for making time for us today.”
“There’s no need for thanks. His Majesty the great King of Darkness, is very concerned about the situation in the Sacred Kingdom. He said it was only natural that he would take time to meet with you.”
“W-we appreciate that very much…”
Remedios seemed overwhelmed by Albedo with her smile. Despite her being the same sex—or perhaps because of it—she was swallowed up by her beauty. Albedo’s gaze quickly surveyed the rest of the group, including Neia.
“Well, His Majesty is waiting, so I’ll show you to the audience chamber. Would you please follow me?”
“Y-yes. What should we do with our swords?”
“Oh yes, there’s that, isn’t there?” Albedo smiled, seeming amused.
Neia wondered why. Surely they couldn’t take their weapons in to meet the king. Normally, they would surrender them. It also indicated their trust.
“Usually, we would hold them for you, but there’s no need in this case. Please wear them as you are now.”
Neia didn’t quite know what that meant.
That went for Remedios as well, and she asked, “Why?” She must have been more confused than anyone, having spent so much time serving alongside the Holy Lady.
In response to the natural question, Albedo smiled again. “Because we trust you. And we thought you might feel safer carrying
