Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

He quickly stopped his wandering thoughts; some things were not for him to consider.

The dim candlelight flickered in the enclosed room, casting long shadows of the two people. The ancient tapestry hanging on the wall, embroidered with the image of Death, seemed to come alive in the light and shadow.

"You...you say you know Lord Death?" The High Priest's voice trembled slightly, his eyes showing both doubt and a hint of expectation.

Rune leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping the armrests casually, making a rhythmic sound: "Not just Selshana, but also Ala Alaf, the Glorious Angel Cat~ Meow and those guys."

He spoke these names with the ease of a casual conversation. This is the composure of a true strong person, one that doesn't need to be deliberately displayed, for everything is under complete control.

“Honestly, that cat lover with the Fury fetish had to give me such a name,” Rune shook his head, a helpless smile on his face. “I’m embarrassed to even say it out loud.”

Unfamiliar words flowed from Rune's mouth with an indescribable casualness. The High Priest's gaze seemed to gradually change; doubt receded like a tide, replaced by awe, and the fanatical gleam only the most devout believers possessed.

“You are…you are…” The high priest suddenly stood up, the chair making a screeching sound.

“Tomoya Aragaki.” Rune smiled slightly, still maintaining his composure, as if he were just introducing an ordinary name. “I wonder if those guys left you any records about me.”

The candlelight flickered suddenly, casting a play of light and shadow on Rune's face.

The high priest's voice choked with emotion: "Are you the God of Judgment, the one whom the Grim Reaper spoke of, who reigns above all the gods and commands dozens of gods comparable to the Grim Reaper, the King of Gods, Tomoya Aragaki?"

His face was full of piety, and his eyes were brimming with tears.

A brief silence fell over the room.

then

"Sirshana, you bastard!" Rune slammed his hand on the table and stood up abruptly, his composure shattered completely. "Your description is so childish, you've completely disgraced your group leader!"

"I'm going to deduct your salary!" Rune, switching back to his attitude towards Sirshana from his previous life, subconsciously uttered this catchphrase.

Chapter 21 Trust

I'm going to dock your pay!

The moment those words left his mouth, Rune himself didn't even realize what he had said.

That was a habitual catchphrase he'd developed in his previous life as the head of a work group. Whenever Sirshana, that chatterbox, started rambling on and on, he'd use that phrase to shut him up. He said it without even thinking, as naturally as breathing.

But at this moment

After he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent.

The silence was almost frozen, a silence where even the candlelight seemed to have stopped flickering.

Because the High Priest knelt down.

Something was trembling violently in those cloudy eyes.

Rune was taken aback.

"Your Excellency need not worry, I am referring to that bastard, Sirshana."

He subconsciously added a sentence, still wondering to himself.

Does this old guy think I'm going to dock his pay?

Rune remembered the Slane Theocracy's system, which seemed to be that the higher the rank, the lower the salary. Someone at the level of the High Priest probably didn't even earn enough to buy a drink for a mid-level nobleman in the capital each month.

Could this be a rule that Sirshah specifically set up to make things difficult for me?

Rune never hesitated to speculate about Sirshana with the utmost malice.

However, the High Priest did not get up.

Instead, he crouched even lower.

On that aged face, two streams of tears slid down the deep wrinkles, dripping onto the cold ground with a faint sound. The sound was very soft, yet it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence.

"Lord God of Judgment..."

His voice trembled violently, as if he had used all his strength to utter a complete sentence.

"You've misunderstood..."

Rune raised an eyebrow.

“A little money is nothing,” the High Priest raised his head, his tear-streaked face now displaying an almost fanatical devotion. “You can deduct my salary for the rest of my life, and I will gladly accept it.”

Rune was somewhat surprised.

Is this old man's faith really that lofty?

wrong.

He looked into those eyes and suddenly realized something.

In those cloudy eyes, there was no fear, no fawning, only something he couldn't understand.

It's like anticipation.

It felt like a sense of relief, as if something had finally been awaited.

"Lord God of Judgment."

The High Priest's voice suddenly became steady.

"Please forgive my previous rudeness."

He remained kneeling, but his expression grew increasingly respectful.

"Please forgive my previous probing, and even my feigned belief to deceive the God of Judgment."

He spoke with utmost sincerity, and the look of repentance on his face seemed genuine.

Rune's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

'What's the meaning?'

Was that old man just acting out my character?

Rune looked at the old man kneeling on the ground and quickly reviewed the conversation in his mind.

From the moment he entered the room, the old man's reaction kept changing. First, he was shocked, then he was suspicious, then he looked like he "finally believed," and now he's saying it was a "pretend."

Rune was somewhat surprised by the High Priest's acting skills.

That level of performance would have easily earned him a Best Actor award in my previous life.

"Until just now."

The High Priest raised his head, and in his cloudy eyes, there was only an almost sacred light.

"I have finally confirmed that you are indeed the God of Judgment."

"Masaka".

A sense of foreboding welled up in Rune's heart.

But the High Priest did not stop.

"This is a secret that only each High Priest can know."

His voice carried a hint of solemnity, and he seemed to be bathed in some kind of holy light, the tear stains on his face shining brightly in that light.

"Key information left by Lord Death to confirm your identity"

He paused, took a deep breath, and then said in an almost chanting tone:

"'The person who said they would deduct my salary is, without a doubt, the team leader.' by Sirshana."

The room fell silent again.

The silence was even more thorough and absolute than before; it was as if even the sound of breathing had been sucked away.

The candlelight flickered.

Rune stood motionless inside the beam of light.

His face was expressionless.

A clear "#" character is slowly emerging on his forehead.

This time, Rune was truly at his breaking point.

"Sirshana"

He squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, each word sounding as if it had been ground through a millstone several times before being uttered.

"You bastard!"

Rune's angry voice echoed in the closed room, making the candlelight flicker.

Then he took a deep breath.

Just about to say something

"Please forgive Lord Death."

The High Priest lowered his head even further, so low that his forehead almost touched the ground.

His voice carried a cautious plea, as if he feared that the "God of Judgment" before him might smash the relics of the Grim Reaper in a fit of rage.

He paused, as if considering his words.

"After witnessing the descent of the Eight Greed Kings, the Grim Reaper predicted that you would also descend upon this world in the future."

Rune nodded. This was indeed within his prediction; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Theocracy.

"So?" Rune tried to keep his voice calm.

The High Priest finally raised his head.

On that aged face, there was only an almost devout seriousness.

"The core mission of every high priest of the theocracy has been to find you, God of Judgment."

He paused, a complex light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"only……"

"Just what?"

"But Lord Death said that you are more..."