Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Sebastian's voice rang out from his side at just the right moment.

"It's not an intrusion, Lord Rune. Mr. Feifei and Miss Nabe have known my master since they were in the Empire. After they came to the capital, they would occasionally come here to sit and catch up."

Feifei nodded slightly, as if acknowledging Sebastian's introduction. The full-face helmet turned towards Rune, his tone carrying a warmth that seemed somewhat incongruous with his jet-black armor.

“I didn’t expect to see you again so soon, Mr. Aindora.”

He paused, then turned to look at Sebastian, as if explaining something: "I happened to meet Mr. Aindora at the Imperial Conference today, and at that time I felt..."

Feifei seemed to be carefully choosing her words, and that brief pause was quite noticeable.

"...Mr. Aindora is quite outstanding."

Rune noticed that when Feifei used the word "excellent," there was a subtle implication in her tone, as if there was something behind the evaluation that was not yet convenient to say.

But before he could think it through, Feifei spoke up.

"Mr. Eindora's speech at the Royal Council was quite brilliant. His judgment of the situation and his grasp of the situation were far beyond those of ordinary nobles."

Rune was slightly taken aback.

He had assumed that Fei Fei, or rather Pandora's, would handle this chance encounter with a businesslike attitude.

But at this moment, Feifei's tone clearly carried a hint of genuine appreciation, as if she were truly giving an honest evaluation of someone worthy of respect.

...Could it be because of that salute posture?

Rune recalled that day at the gates of the royal city, when Gergiev pounded his chest, Fei Fei shouted a passionate "Spalashi!" and then gave a textbook-perfect German military salute.

"Mr. Feifei, you flatter me." He made his tone very humble. "I was just expressing some of my own limited opinions. I don't deserve such praise."

Rune could feel Feifei's gaze still lingering on him, filled with an inexplicable eagerness, as if she had discovered one of her own kind.

Well, it seems that saluting really did make a difference.

He glanced at Naberal's direction again; the black-haired woman sat beside Fei Fei, her dark eyes equally calm.

'For Narberal, this is probably considered friendly,' Rune thought somewhat uncertainly.

Then Rune noticed Soliuxiang's gaze.

Suo Liuxiang wore a polite smile on her delicate face, her posture elegant and flawless.

But he always felt that she was looking at a dish that hadn't yet been served.

Rune's lips twitched slightly, and he quickly looked away.

'So I'm that popular in Nazarick?'

Chapter 135 Testing

Rune sat down calmly on the surface, but he couldn't help feeling a little flustered inside.

The firelight from the fireplace danced on the dark wooden floor, casting five shadows on the walls and ceiling, while the air was filled with the faint crackling of burning firewood.

He was the only human among the five people.

Humans are such strange creatures. Even though he knew that if Fei Fei and Nabella wanted to go on a killing spree in the royal city of Lorenti earlier that day, he wouldn't be able to escape either, he wasn't particularly afraid.

But now, in the dead of night, sitting alone among a group of alien species, the oppressive feeling of being surrounded quietly crept up from the base of his spine.

If he hadn't been in such a hurry to come to Sebastian to gather intelligence, perhaps he wouldn't have encountered this situation.

'So, is this God's punishment for my unpaid overtime?' Rune used this rant to ease his inner tension.

Rune picked up the black tea that Sebastian had just placed in front of him, took a small sip, and found the tea to be at the perfect temperature with a rich aroma—truly a testament to Sebastian's skill.

'Let's get down to business.'

Rune put down his teacup and, taking advantage of his apparent high status and natural advantage of being the first to speak, took the initiative to start the conversation.

“I came here tonight to say goodbye to Mr. Sebastian.” Rune’s voice was steady, and his gaze fell naturally on Sebastian. “Afterwards, I plan to go to Riblom Rashull to participate in the battle against the Demon King Sagara.”

"Speaking of which, I am a little worried about Miss Soliuxiang and Mr. Sebastian. The Angelicia Mountains next to Ribrumrushul seem to be the location of the Demon King's stronghold. It is much more dangerous there than the capital. Miss Soliuxiang and Mr. Sebastian would be better off not going there."

These words were made up on the spot, but given the current situation, they are indeed a reasonable speculation.

Suo Liuxiang lazily tossed her long, golden, wavy hair, exuding a touch of arrogance, like a true noblewoman complaining about trivial matters.

"I would never go to a place like that for no reason. I'm busy enough with salons and banquets in the capital. I don't have time for places like that."

Rune silently commented in his mind: The performance was quite convincing; she really did act like a young lady from a wealthy family.

Sebastian, sitting opposite him, spoke up at this moment: "Lord Rune, do you need my assistance?"

Rune shook his head, politely declining Sebastian's offer. "Sebastian, I appreciate your kindness. But this is a war between the kingdom and the demon king. If a steward of an imperial merchant were to casually join in, it might implicate your master in the empire, Sebastian."

Almost everyone present was acting. Rune and Sebastian had already laid their cards on the table, so his words were naturally an act for Pandora to see, in order to maintain Sebastian's facade as the "imperial merchant's steward."

Sebastian's act of volunteering was also a performance.

But the performance was not without value for Rune; he keenly noticed that Sebastian did not try to dissuade him.

If Nazarick truly intended to kill everyone in Ribloom Rashull, Sebastian, even if he couldn't say it outright, would never have appeared so composed.

This at least means that even if he went to fight, he probably wouldn't face a real catastrophe.

Therefore, the option of making an excuse to leave can be ruled out.

If he backs down at this critical juncture, it will damage the image he has built in Nazarick and may also arouse unnecessary suspicion.

Just then, Feifei spoke up.

Rune's thinking efficiency instantly reached its peak. His posture remained unchanged, and even his breathing rhythm remained the same, but deep in his consciousness, all his attention was focused on that black figure.

The opponent is Pandora's Actor, one of the top three most intelligent NPCs in Nazarick. If the opponent tries to test him, any slight flaw could be detected.

“Speaking of which, Mr. Aindora,” Fei Fei’s voice came from under his helmet, carrying a warmth that seemed somewhat incongruous with his jet-black armor, “I have a question for you.”

'Here it comes, they're testing me after all.' Rune's mind instantly went into high alert. 'But I'm ready, bring it on.'

He maintained a gentle smile and looked at Feifei with a frank expression: "Mr. Feifei, please speak."

"Regarding that salute gesture at the royal city gate earlier today," Fei Fei tilted her helmet slightly towards Rune, her barely suppressed excitement almost overflowing from between the metal seams, "how did Mr. Aindora come up with that gesture?"

Rune's thoughts paused briefly for a moment.

'Huh?'

He sat there, still maintaining a gentle expression, but his mind seemed to have been put on pause.

Rune had already prepared himself for all sorts of tests. Regarding the basis for his judgment of the situation, or his own stance, he had already mentally simulated several possible directions of questioning and corresponding response strategies.

So... so this is what you're asking?

Rune blinked twice, like a machine that had suddenly lost signal trying to recalibrate its channel.

He wasn't worried about revealing the origin of this salute gesture.

The reason is simple: in the cyber world before his previous life, the year was 2138 AD. Even from his perspective, which was slightly higher than Ainz's, he had never heard of the work "Attack on Titan" being discovered through archaeology.

Perhaps this work never existed in that world, or perhaps it did exist but was lost in the long flow of history.

Therefore, he is the only one in the world who knows this salute gesture.

Rune's briefly malfunctioning brain restarted, and he adjusted his posture, switching his expression to a smile tinged with nostalgia and emotion.

"This posture... it was actually quite accidental. A few years ago, when I was patrolling near the territory of Aindora, I encountered a group of adventurers who were besieged by trolls. They fought desperately, back to back, encouraging each other in that posture, and finally held on until reinforcements arrived."

Rune looked up, as if recalling that scene, and then continued, "When I saw that scene, I felt that there was a kind of conviction in that action that was hard to describe in words. So I memorized that posture, and after going back, I made some slight adjustments and used it in the troops of the Aindora territory."

Feifei remained silent for a moment, her full-face helmet drooping slightly, as if savoring a fine wine worth chewing over repeatedly.

“I see…” Fei Fei’s voice came with sincere admiration. “Lord Aindora was able to extract such an expressive movement from such a moment. He truly deserves to be recognized as a genius by Mr. Sebastian.”

Chapter 136 Dilemma

The firelight in the fireplace was still flickering, and the shadows of several figures in the living room swayed slightly with the flames.

Lu En sat on the sofa with a polite smile on his face, but Fei Fei's comment about him being a "genius" made him feel that something was not quite right.

Rune could tell that Feifei spoke without a hint of sarcasm or probing, but this unreserved praise was precisely the problem.

Could it be that his level of adolescent delusions back then was so high that even Pandora's Creed would have to show him respect?

Before Rune could even process this subtle compliment, Feifei had already taken action.

Feifei got up and walked to the open space in the center of the living room, where the carpet had just cleared out a large enough area for her to move around.

Then Feifei turned around and faced the direction of Rune.

He brought his feet together with a crisp sound, raised his right hand in front of him, his five fingers joined together, frozen in this solemn and dignified moment, like a meticulously crafted statue.

“Lord Aindora,” Fei Fei’s voice came from under his helmet, with an almost reverent solemnity, “what do you think of my manners?”

Rune's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He looked at the scene before him. Feifei, or rather Pandora, was standing there in a posture as if waiting for the mentor's comments, her gaze from under the helmet clearly fixed on him.

"...You seem quite energetic."

Rune heard his own voice flowing from his throat, these subconscious words, he himself couldn't tell whether they were sincere or perfunctory sentiments.

After realizing what had happened, he decided to return Pandora's praise tenfold: "The person who created it must be a genius who surpasses me."

Upon hearing this, Feifei lowered his right hand, and the aura emanating from him was noticeably stronger than before, as if an invisible flame was burning around him.

"Lord Aindora truly has discerning eyes." Fei Fei agreed with Rune's opinion without any attempt to hide it. "That one... is indeed a perfect genius."

When he said those words, his tone was almost devout.

Looking at his appearance, Rune suddenly had a thought: if the real Ainz Ooal Gown were here right now, and heard the NPC he created say "perfect genius" in this tone, he wondered if it would trigger the passive ability of forced calm.

Just imagining that scene almost made Rune unable to suppress his smile.

He quickly swallowed back his smile and put on a slightly wistful expression.

Now that things have come to this, continuing to stay will only allow the topic to sink deeper into the dangerous realm of the art of saluting.

Moreover, Rune has already achieved his goal of coming here tonight. Nazarick clearly has no intention of attacking him for the time being, and Sebastian's attitude has provided enough information.

If he stayed any longer, he might reveal his weakness by saying too much, so Rune decided to take the opportunity to leave.

"...It's getting late."