Neia Baraja

Neia Baraja (ネイア・バラハ) is a Squire serving in the Holy Kingdom Liberation Army. She is the daughter of Pavel Baraja, one of the members of the Nine Colors.

Appearance
Neia is a woman with short blonde hair and beady black eyes slanted upwards, giving the impression that she was constantly glaring at others. On the other hand, the dark circles around her eyes made people think that she was the kind of person who hung around with criminals in seedy back alleys. She also carried a sword at her waist, emblazoned with the crest of the Holy Kingdom's knight order. Additionally, she adorns a blackish cape around her attire.

Personality
Since interpersonal relationship isn't Neia's strong suit, it has only instead lead her into developing a personality that favors doing everything by herself.

According to her father, she was looked upon by him as being a gentle, fragile girl, who is certainly not the type that thinks of fighting power as everything.

Background
Due to her fierce-looking eyes, she inherited from her father, Neia tends to leave a bad first impression on others. This is the reason why Neia's childhood friends kept a distance from her. For that, she's bad at building good interpersonal relationships and always complained to her father about it. When her mother heard she say that, Neia took quite a beating.

Somewhere during her childhood, her father has stated that she was even been scared to tears by caterpillars back then. Amidst that lifetime, she made a carved wooden doll at the age of six as a special gift to her father.

While growing up, Neia decided her dream goal in life is to aim at becoming a paladin within the Holy Kingdom like her mother. She was rarely ever home with her parents because of that. The reason for why Neia has chosen this path, to begin with, was because she happens to admire how her mother looked as a paladin. Hence, she may be attending to follow in the footsteps of her mother. However, no matter how much she practiced over time, Neia thought of herself to have no talent with a sword at all and considers her skills with ranged weapons as a waste.

After becoming a squire, however, she realized her vision is becoming much broader and more useful when carrying out missions. Thus, it eventually led Neia into thinking how useful she previously hated eyes are to the Paladin Order.

The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom Arc
and The Paladin of the Holy Kingdom II Arc Neia Baraja journeyed together with the Holy Kingdom's ambassadorial delegation to the Royal Capital of the Re-Estize Kingdom. Though her presence was deemed to be a nuisance by the veteran paladins, Neia's sole purpose in this journey was to ensure they made it to that nation safely. As Neia walked through the streets, she happens to notice the citizens of the capital were somewhat depressed, thinking this was due to the fact that they've suffered an invasion not too long ago. Though she dismisses the idea upon remembering how the Northern Kingdom's citizens are currently suffering worse. After being sent on a mission to contact the nobles of the Re-Estize Kingdom, she reported back to Remedios Custodio that the nobles would not be able to receive due to the lack of time. Neia's superior, Remedios however, doesn't believe her at all and sees it as a failure done on her part.

Later on, she was present alongside the rest of the delegates during the meeting with members of Blue Roses. Upon encountering the adamantite adventurer group at first glance, she was admiring their composure especially Lakyus who seemed more refined than her own leader. After the meeting was over and no help could be established from any party in the Re-Estize Kingdom, she and the rest of her group departed for the Sorcerer Kingdom to seek out aid from Momon instead.

Due to her sharp senses, she leads the party at the front to watch out for any dangers. Right around when the envoys reach the Sorcerer Kingdom's border, they first encountered a strange mist that was approaching them fast. As they're preparing for danger, she was stumped to see it was actually a flying ghost ship that was right in front of them all this time. She is even more dumbfounded when realizing that the flying ghost ship was carrying the Sorcerer Kingdom's banner. As a result, she ends up wondering what sort of nation is the Sorcerer Kingdom supposed to be if it has such strange forces such as that flying ghost ship under its command.

When they reached the Sorcerer Kingdom's capital E-Rantel, Neia was put at the back of the group as she had already done her duty of guiding the troops. Upon their arrival at the city's main gate, she was marveling at the two stately-looking gigantic statues flanking the gate that was in front of her as well as in awe of the appearance of frost giants tending to them.

Upon entering the city, Neia was astonished by the various races that inhabited the city. During their walk towards the Shining Golden Pavilion, her party came across a trio of dwarves. After questioning them, she was surprised that the dwarves were technical advisers that came from the Dwarf Kingdom itself and that they were using the undead to pave roads.

Neia was present when her party gained an audience with the Sorcerer King and Albedo. She watched the exchange between the two parties and was disheartened that the Sorcerer King could only provide help within four years time. But due to her unwavering insistence, Ainz was delighted and further cut down the time to two years.

After the negotiations had concluded, Remedios started to scold the young squire for interfering, however, she fought back in defense as her effort had shortened the time even further than they were capable of. Once the two finally stopped arguing, Neia went outside to cool off her head. At that moment, she heard an invisible voice coming from behind her and it directed her towards a back alley, revealing to be none other than the Sorcerer King himself. Ainz came to talk to her as he has another proposal for visiting the delegation. Ainz wants to carry out his plan in secret, requesting the young squire to help him get into the building, to which she accepted without hesitation. Neia and the rest of the Paladin Order listened to his proposals and after deliberations, the group have decided to accept it. Along the way, she was chosen to act as his personal guard as well as to keep an eye on him.

During the journey back to their hidden base, Neia and the Sorcerer King spent the time with informal conservation. She came to better understand what kind of person he is and started to earn her respect and admiration. While so, Ainz, in turn, gave her his Ultimate Shooting Star Super bow in order to convince Neia to use it for her and his own protection.

Abilities and Powers
Neia is considered to be adept at using a bow as her field of expertise. Her bow skills are said to be very well suited to the bandit's lifestyle. She was also acknowledged by her father in regards to being a ranger like him. According to Gustav, she is the only one among the Holy Kingdom's soldiers who can notice things with a clear perception due to her keen senses. While Neia was a long way from her father, she harbored some pride in the fact that her senses were sharper than those who had only been trained as paladins.

Job Classes

 * Servant
 * Archer 

Main Equipment

 * Unnamed Sword: A sidearm decorated with the crest of the Knight Order of the Holy Kingdom, a sort of which looks like the ones issued to trainee soldiers. She has the habit of caressing this sword to calm her down when feeling uneasy as this was her partner through long years of training and practice.
 * Ultimate Shooting Star Super: A weapon borrowed from Ainz. He said that it's made with the Dwarves' ancient art of runecrafting, but is, in fact, a YGGDRASIL weapon with rune decorations that held no power at all.
 * Five-Pointed Star Pendant: Given by Ainz, this item grants Neia an immunity to fear.

Ainz Ooal Gown
Upon meeting Ainz for the first time, Neia wasn't afraid of him being an undead, yet was awed by his appearance and aura. She senses that the Sorcerer King is not simply a mere undead like the rest of his kind and could be an actual supreme being. In addition, she also finds his logic and the decisions he carries out to be reasonable. Every time he speaks his thoughts out openly, it would leave an indelible impression on Neia's heart. She had not only forgotten that Ainz was an undead, but had later come to harbor feelings of genuine respect for him as the Sorcerer King. Neia seems willing to defend him if the need to arises even against people from her own country.

As the two traveled to the resistance camp, Ainz and Neia conversed with each other in his carriage where she was amazed at the undead's character, describing him to be a King who is as kind as he is wise. When answering Ainz's question concerning her parents, she told him about their fate which made the Sorcerer King apologetic in regards to her circumstance. Seeing his reaction, she even kneels before him in the carriage and faithfully swears her loyalty and life to protect him from the conflict with her country is settled. At times, however, she ponders the thought of Ainz being a human magic caster in a skeletal mask due to the way he acts.

Pavel Baraja
In the past, it seems Neia used to love her father very much when she goes so far as carving wooden doll just for him. According to her father, she would have hugged him immediately. At some point in time, however, she no longer hugged him after he returned home. This is because she has grown independent of relying on her father and decided to do things her own way from now on.

After the death of her father and the fall of the Northern Holy Kingdom, Neia uses the knowledge that she learned from him to guide the delegation of the Liberation Army safely to the Re-Estize Kingdom. During the travel, Neia remembered her father with affection and nearly broke in tears when thinking about him.

She mentioned Ainz that in some part of her heart, she resented his father for giving her his sinister eyes, that have caused her so many problems, and maybe that was the reason because she decided not follow the path of her father.

Remedios Custodio
Remedios is Neia's superior. However, Neia resents her for various reasons. This primarily has to do with how Remedios uses her as an outlet for her anger and grief over the deaths of her friends, even though she lost family too. Neia also dislikes how Remedios lets her emotions cloud her judgment, was allowed to skip being a squire simply because of her talent and takes credit for what was originally someone else idea.

This resentment has grown to distrust upon hearing about Remedios' plan for having both Ainz and Jaldabaoth kill each other during their eventual showdown. She felt unease after hearing how her superior is willing to take advantage of Ainz's goodwill by not only getting him to fight the demon but to do all the heavy lifting for them.

Despite all of this, Neia came to sympathize with Remedios upon learning that her naivety was a result of her trying to carry on the beliefs of the deceased Holy Queen, who was a close friend to her. However, she also recognized these beliefs are hypocritical and reality doesn't work that way.

Calca Bessarez
Being a squire of the Paladin Order, she is bound to serve the Holy Queen as well as her country. However, Neia had met the Holy Queen only once in her lifetime and she never struck her the impression as being a true monarch. This was only until listening to the Sorcerer King speaking out his thoughts the second time in their meeting that she started believing he may be a true monarch incarnate. In a way, it could be implied that her loyalty to the Holy Queen is not as strong as Remedios or the majority of the other members of the Paladin Order.

Gustav Montagnés
Gustav normally treats Neia a little better than the other paladins and at times, defends her when her skills are brought into question. Neia becomes angered when Gustav tries to ask Ainz's wisdom about how to fight back against Jaldabaoth's forces but doesn't even offer the Sorcerer King the courtesy of a map.

Jaldabaoth
Neia hates Jaldabaoth for what he did to her country and people, but is mostly angry at it for killing both her mother and father and has vowed to avenge them.

Trivia

 * When her father has presented the doll she made for him, he originally thought it to be a monster rather than of him.
 * Neia's dream as a child was to visit other countries, and held a vague sense of admiration for Baharuth Empire as it was supposedly much more superior than the Holy Kingdom as mentioned by her father.

Quotes

 * (To Gustav about Remedios): "...Even if she takes her anger out on others and gives them a hard time, then?"
 * (To Gustav): "Understood. If it is for the sake of the Holy Kingdom, I will endure it with a smile."
 * (To Ainz): "My skills aren't good enough for me to proudly call myself an archer, Your Majesty. I am simply better at archery than swordsmanship, and the truth is that people have scolded me and told me I ought to focus more on training up my sword skills."
 * (To Herself about Ainz): "No! I can't let His Majesty spoil me like this! If I don't lower myself a little more—"
 * (To Herself about Ainz): "I can't believe it. The Sorcerer King is wise and sagacious, and surely he must know the meaning of bowing. Even so, he still bowed to me like an ordinary person-- No. Don't get full of yourself. I can't possibly be that valuable. This simply shows how magnanimous the Sorcerer King is; he even treats a commoner politely. --Ah! He mustn't!"
 * (To Ainz): "Your servant is of humble origins, but I swear that until Your Majesty's work is complete, I will loyally and faithfully serve you."
 * (To Herself): "That's what I sensed from His Majesty, something which the Holy Kingdom now lacks...a sense of purity. That's why I feel like this..."
 * (To Herself about Ainz): "He's actually happy that I can understand him...what a gentle and kind person he is."