Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Rune had intended to use this opportunity to test whether Iveria had fallen in love with Feifei as in the original story, but Iveria's behavior made him unsure.

He had no choice but to take action again.

Rune glanced subtly in the direction of Iveria, his tone casual.

"Speaking of which, Iverie, do you think Mr. Feifei... can win?"

Iveria tilted her head slightly, seemingly pondering Rune's intentions.

After a moment, she gave her answer, her tone still flat: "Feifei is very strong, she should be able to win this time too."

Iver's reply was businesslike, devoid of any extra emotion.

Rune carefully observed the reaction beneath the red mask and confirmed that Iveriai's tone and demeanor did not convey the admiration that should have been present in the original work.

In terms of results, it is still very encouraging.

Rune speculated that it was probably because Iveria did not fight with the Insect Girl Entoma during this incident, resulting in her injury, that Demiurge did not launch a retaliatory attack on Blue Rose.

Without the dramatic rescue in extreme danger, Iveriai didn't develop special feelings for Feifei like in the original story.

Or perhaps it's because the current Flyff is an imposter of Pandora Actor, and that resourceful double illusion doesn't possess Ainz's "unintentional" talent for picking up girls.

In any case, this is good news for Rune.

He was about to continue speaking when he felt a gaze fall upon him, carrying a subtle sense of scrutiny.

Rune followed that gaze.

Si was looking at him, a hint of dissatisfaction hidden in her light green eyes.

Her eyebrows were slightly raised, and the corners of her mouth were pursed.

Rune's heart tightened, and he quickly looked away.

“Brother,” Si’s voice came from the side, tinged with a hint of displeasure, “What were you thinking about just now? Why were you staring at Iver’s Ai?”

"Ah...it's nothing." Rune scratched the back of his head and laughed it off. "Sorry, I was thinking about something and my mind wandered."

Si looked at him, seemingly wanting to ask more questions, but in the end she just sighed.

"...Really." She muttered, then stopped pursuing the matter.

Rune secretly breathed a sigh of relief, then changed the subject and steered the conversation back on track.

"However, I was indeed pondering an important question just now." His voice held a hint of seriousness. "Is the Demon King's goal really that simple?"

Si paused slightly, "What does Elder Brother mean...?"

Rune nodded, as if encouraging Silk to continue thinking.

"The Demon King Sagara has attacked the capital several times, but has been defeated by Mr. Fei Fei each time. But if he is really inferior to Lord Fei Fei, why does he dare to attack the capital so frequently, putting himself in danger?"

He paused for a moment, giving the members of the Blue Rose enough time to think.

"This behavior is less a defeat and more a test. He is testing whether there are any hidden forces in the capital, and at the same time testing the upper limit of Lord Fei Fei's strength."

Si frowned.

Gegrand's smile faded slightly, and he lowered his thick arms from his chest.

Tina and Tia exchanged a glance and became focused.

Iver Ai's gaze, hidden beneath her mask, seemed to be directed at Rune with admiration.

Rune continued, "This is not just my judgment; Princess Lana holds the same view."

He deliberately mentioned Lana's name, using up the reputation points Lana had accumulated to increase the credibility of his words.

Princess Lana believes that the Demon King Sagara is likely far more powerful than we realize. His repeated probing and retreats are preparations for a larger operation.

A complex emotion flashed in Si's eyes.

She had considerable trust in Lana's intelligence, and her elder brother shared the same judgment. With these two factors combined, there was no reason to doubt her.

“…If that’s really the case,” Silk’s voice deepened, “then the kingdom’s current preparations for war are probably far from sufficient.”

Rune nodded; this was exactly the effect he wanted.

“So,” he looked at Silk, “before we talk about how to deal with it, I want to confirm one thing: just how strong is the Demon King Sagara who has just shown his strength?”

Silk turned towards Iver.

The latter nodded slightly and took over the conversation.

“Every time the Demon Lord Sagara appears, he is accompanied by a large number of high-ranking demons.” Iver’s voice came from under the mask, steady and clear. “Those demons are far stronger than ordinary undead, and even an Orichalcum-level adventurer would have a hard time dealing with them alone.”

She seemed to be recalling the details of the battle, and then continued:

"As for the strength of Demon King Sagara himself... in my judgment, he is probably about the same as the Demon God two hundred years ago. The entire Blue Rose, along with the Warrior Captain and Brian, could only barely cope. If Feifei hadn't arrived in time, we probably would have suffered casualties."

Rune listened, silently evaluating the description in his mind.

It seems Nazarick did indeed hold back.

If the Wrathful Demon were to truly unleash its full power, the Blue Rose wouldn't even have a chance to "barely cope." Those battles were, from the very beginning, a meticulously orchestrated drama.

Of course, he obviously wouldn't say these things out loud.

Rune gathered his emotions for a moment, then raised his head again, his eyes filled with a heavy seriousness.

"Since the strength shown is already this strong, the hidden strength must be even more terrifying."

His voice slowed down, as if he were under immense pressure.

"Although Lord Feifei has managed to repel Demon King Sagara every time, the latter never seems to have truly shown his full strength. If next time he doesn't retreat but instead chooses to display his true power..."

Rune successfully created the image of the demon king Sagara as someone who was difficult to defeat.

The room was quiet for a moment.

Si's brows furrowed even more, and she was quickly thinking about something in her light green eyes.

Gegrand also dropped his roguish expression, and an unusual seriousness appeared on his rugged face.

“Then what do you think, elder brother?” Si’s voice was a few decibels deeper than before, clearly indicating that she completely believed Rune’s judgment. “What should we do?”

This is exactly what Rune was waiting for.

"I think that with the current power of the Blue Rose, it probably won't be of much use in a direct confrontation with the Demon King Sagara." He first ruthlessly denied the Blue Rose's value on the front lines, and then changed the subject.

"But this battle is not without a chance of victory. To completely defeat the Demon King, we need to rely on the power of other countries."

He paused for a moment, his gaze falling on Si.

"Among the surrounding human nations, the one that would be willing to help pure-blooded human nations fight against the alien species, and that also has sufficient strength, is undoubtedly the Slane Theocracy."

Silk's eyes lit up.

"What my elder brother means is..."

“Instead of sending the Blue Rose to the front lines to clash head-on with the Demon King Sagara, it would be better to seek reinforcements from the Theocracy,” Rune said, revealing his prepared statement.

"The Theocracy possesses powerful human warriors and priests, whose experience in fighting alien species far surpasses that of the Kingdom. If we can persuade the Theocracy to send troops, the chances of winning this battle will be much greater."

Si nodded thoughtfully.

The heaviness and confusion in her eyes were gradually replaced by the certainty that came after finding her direction.

“…I see.” She said softly, “So, my brother wants us to go to the Kingdom of Theocracy for help.”

Rune nodded.

"Yes."

But Rune's true purpose was not like that; in fact, it was much simpler.

Although adventurers do not participate in wars between nations, they might still be hired to fight against simple monster invasions.

Therefore, before the Adventurers' Guild issues any quests, it is safest to get Si away from this inevitable defeat.

However, it's unrealistic to let Silk leave directly; Rune knows his sister very well.

Even in a battle she is certain to lose, she will still wield her sword for the justice in her heart.

Therefore, Rune planned to send Silk to the Holy Kingdom under the pretext of seeking help, so that Silk would be absolutely safe.

If the High Priest cooperates to delay for a while, it will be enough for her to avoid this war.

Si pondered for a moment, then looked up.

“Then I can send Tina and Tia to the Holy Kingdom. They are agile and good at stealth, so they can serve as envoys,” she offered her plan.

“Not enough,” Rune interrupted her mercilessly.

His tone wasn't harsh, but it left no room for compromise.

"Sending only two members of the Blue Rose with a mere conjecture to the Holy Kingdom would likely be difficult to convince the high priests."

Rune met Shang Si's gaze frankly and offered his so-called correct argument.

“The leaders of the Holy Kingdom are not so easily persuaded. What they need to see is sufficient sincerity and weight. If we only send two envoys, they will likely refuse on the grounds of ‘insufficient evidence’.”

Silk pursed her lips.

She knew, of course, that Rune was right. Although Tina and Tia were quite strong, they weren't captains, so their words carried limited weight.

“Therefore,” Rune continued, “it would be best if the entire Blue Rose went. As the captain of the adamantite-level team, you, Silk, should personally speak up for them. Only then will the Holy Kingdom seriously consider this matter.”

Si remained silent for a moment.

She glanced at her teammates beside her. Gegrand shrugged, giving an "I don't care" look, while Tina and Tia nodded in unison.

“…Alright.” Silk finally nodded. “The entire Blue Rose will go to the Theocracy for help. Tina, Tia, Gorgran, Iveria, what do you think?”

“No problem, Boss Ghost,” Tina replied first.

"...It doesn't matter, staying in the capital is just waiting for the Demon King to attack anyway." Gegrand shrugged.

Iverai gave Rune a deep look, and finally replied briefly, "Feasible."

Rune breathed a long sigh of relief.

He lowered his eyes, hiding his relief beneath a calm expression.

“Then it’s decided.” He stood up and gave Si a gentle smile. “Thank you for your hard work, Si. I’m leaving this matter to you.”