Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

The wall lamps were made of silver, with a simple and elegant design. The base was cast in the shape of a stretching vine, supporting a fist-sized magic crystal.

These low-grade magic crystals only need to be charged once a month to glow day and night. They are the most common lighting method in noble mansions. They are not too extravagant, but they are by no means affordable for commoners.

In stark contrast to the dimly lit environment of the low-rent apartment in his previous life, Rune was momentarily stunned.

On the wall hang portraits of the Eindora family patriarchs, their stern faces scrutinizing each passing descendant.

'A descendant of the Thirteen Heroes? If this identity is used well, it might have a good effect in the future.' Under heavy pressure, Rune habitually thought of his family's history.

"Onii-chan, hurry up!" Si complained softly, already impatiently crossing the courtyard corridor; the classroom was just ahead.

Rune nodded to her, gave her a reassuring smile, and quickly followed after her.

No matter what the future holds, at least for now, he still has a younger sister who needs his protection.

This is enough.

Chapter 3 Class

Pushing open the ornate double doors of the classroom, a faint fragrance of lilies wafted out.

The white lily is Cecilia Veris's favorite flower, and like her name, it represents kindness and innocence in the temple's teachings.

The room was spacious and bright, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two walls, providing excellent natural light. Bookshelves against the wall were neatly arranged with various books and scrolls, and in the center were two desks side by side, with a simple white porcelain vase in the center of the desk, with a few white lilies arranged in a pleasing manner.

A young woman was standing by the window and turned around when she heard the door open.

Cecilia Veris, 23 years old, comes from a declining lower-class noble family. She is well-educated and was hired as a tutor by the Eindora family three years ago.

She had long, dark brown hair, loosely tied in a bun at the back of her head, with a few stray strands falling around her cheeks. Her light gray eyes were gentle yet earnest, and she wore a simple, dark long dress with a plain silver brooch at the neckline.

"Young Master Rune, Miss Si, good morning." Cecilia gave a slight bow, her tone gentle yet respectful. "You're very punctual today."

Si glanced at Rune triumphantly, as if to say: I dragged my brother here!

Rune pretended not to see and went to his seat.

“Well then, let’s begin today’s lesson.” Cecilia opened the lesson plan on the table.

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"Finally, the silver knight picked up his broken longsword again and charged into the vast army of undead with a death-defying spirit, buying precious time for the villagers who were fleeing behind him."

As Cecilia continued telling the story, Rune, sitting in his seat, was already barely able to contain his complaints.

Why could a knight who was at most "heroic" level delay such a large army of undead? Even if the silver knight in this story was incredibly powerful, he was able to hold off a death knight who was only level 35 and whose attack power was not outstanding.

Secondly, the knights of the kingdom can only be granted to nobles, and usually only the second sons who cannot inherit noble titles and territories can serve as knights, which are the nobles' private domain.

Even the future winner of the "Royal Tournament," Gödelsky-Stronov, was boycotted by the nobles because of his commoner background, thus losing the "Knighthood" he was entitled to.

In other words, if this silver knight is from the Kingdom of Riestij, then he is at least a nobleman.

The kingdom's nobles are considered good if they don't harm the villagers; they don't treat commoners as human beings. This kind of situation only happens in fairy tales.

If the Silver Knights are indeed from the Bahars Empire, then given the unfriendly relations between the two countries, they are promoting the valor of the Imperial Knights before the heirs of the kingdom's ancient noble families.

Cecilia, do you really not want to improve at all?

Finally, even in fairy tales, it should be the knight who saves the princess. The knight bravely sacrifices his life for the princess, and the princess, filled with gratitude, marries the prince.

The nobles gained their fantasies, the royal family gained loyalty, and the princesses and princes found true love. This is the kind of fairy tale that aligns with aristocratic values.

Cecilia, are you really a noblewoman of the kingdom? Wait, Rune seems to know why the Veris family fell from grace.

After all, it's astonishing that a descendant of the family would tell such a story that even a three-year-old wouldn't believe.

"Teacher Cecilia, I will definitely become a Silver Knight someday!"

With the same stunned expression as Old Bone, Rune looked at his younger sister with difficulty. He saw that Si had her hands folded over her chest, her light green eyes shining with pure light, as if she had been ignited by the heroic spirit of the story.

Rune's lips twitched slightly.

He glanced again at his younger sister, the eldest daughter of the Eindora family, a future paragon of nobility, who was currently looking at her tutor behind the podium with the eyes of someone admiring an idol.

It’s over.

Rune silently rubbed his forehead in his mind. This little sister has been completely led astray by Teacher Cecilia. Will she fall out with her parents in the future because of the adventure stories you tell, Teacher Cecilia?

“Miss Sis has such aspirations, which is truly remarkable.” Cecilia smiled gently, her eyes carrying a hint of profound meaning. “The most valuable thing about the Silver Knight is not how skilled he is in martial arts, but that he is willing to give his life to protect others. This courage and kindness is the reason why the story has been passed down to this day.”

Courage and kindness.

Rune's eyelids twitched when he heard those four words.

He couldn't help but ask, "Teacher Cecilia, the Silver Knight in this story died in the end, right?"

Cecilia paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes, he sacrificed himself."

“That’s it.” Rune leaned back in his chair, a lazy, teasing tone in his voice. “Even a hero is nothing if he dies. A dead knight is a good knight, isn’t that the real reason this story has been passed down?”

The room fell silent for a moment.

Si blinked, looking at her brother and then at her teacher with a somewhat blank expression.

Cecilia's expression remained unchanged, but her light gray eyes stared at Rune for a moment before she smiled softly.

“Young Master Lu En is right…” She lowered her eyes, smoothed her skirt, and said in a gentle tone, “However, the meaning of a story is sometimes not just about telling reality. It can also show people that there are still things in this world worth aspiring to.”

She raised her head and looked calmly at Rune.

"Even if in reality few nobles are willing to sacrifice for commoners, the fact that someone tells this story shows that the storyteller believes in the existence of such goodwill."

Rune paused slightly, unwilling to admit defeat, and unleashed his final trump card. "Teacher Cecilia, I remember this class is about faith-based magic, isn't it a bit much to spend so much time on extracurricular stories?"

If they can't win an argument, they flip the table – the same old-fashioned approach.

Cecilia didn't say anything more, but simply turned to the next page of her lesson plan: "I told this story so that you could understand faith itself. Those who pray pray for protection, and those who believe in the benevolence of miracles. Okay, let's continue today's lesson..."

Si was still muttering to herself, "Anyway, I'm definitely going to become a knight someday..."

Rune did not refute this further.

He simply turned his head and looked out the window.

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on the white lilies and gilding the edges of their petals with a faint golden hue.

Do you believe in the existence of goodwill...?

He recalled his memories of his past life, those days filled with self-interest and scheming.

In this world, how much is kindness worth? Can kindness protect everything the Eindora family has to offer?

But

He glanced at Si, who was listening attentively to the lecture, and then at Cecilia, who stood calmly and composed on the podium.

Forget it, at least for now, let her believe it.

Rune withdrew his gaze and looked back at the custom-made textbook spread out in front of him.

The sunlight outside the window was just right, and the faint scent of lilies lingered around my nose.

Chapter 4 Plan

After class, Rune buried himself in his study.

This is Rune's daily, unwavering routine of thinking about future plans. Of course, he publicly claims that he's reading to cultivate his aristocratic refinement.

The study was small, but impeccably organized. A narrow window faced the back garden, and the afternoon sun slanted in, leaving a bright mark on the oak table. The occasional chirping of birds outside the window made the room so quiet that you could hear your own breathing.

Rune sat down at the table and spread out a piece of paper.

Knowing the plot's direction, he had to devise a way to survive for himself and his family.

The pen tip touched the paper, making a scratching sound. Words that didn't belong to this world appeared, only to be quickly crossed out. The black ink marks intertwined and overlapped, like traces of some kind of struggle.

It's worth noting that this paper was made using first-tier magic. Any apprentice with a spellcasting level of 7 could easily learn how to make it. Even so, magical paper was a luxury for ordinary people, and none of them would use it.

Commoners would buy paper directly from the workshops, while nobles would use it to display their wealth.

Finally, Rune stopped writing and held the scribbled-on paper up to the candlelight. The flames licked the edges of the paper, and the ink twisted and curled in the firelight before turning to ash and falling into the copper dish, where it crumbled at the slightest touch.

This information must absolutely not be leaked. Even a single translation spell could bring annihilation to the Rune and Eindora families.

He stared at the clump of ashes in silence for a moment, then leaned back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling.

There was a thin crack in the ceiling, stretching from the edge of the carved plaster all the way to near the chandelier. He stared at the crack for a long time, as if he were looking at something very important.

"As expected, thinking of fighting Ainz Ooal Gown is pure wishful thinking."

Rune shook his head, a smile playing on his lips, a smile that seemed to be both self-mockery and resignation.

"I must have lost my mind. I actually got influenced by Cecilia-sensei and that chuunibyou sister."

The sunlight outside the window was still bright, casting a warm patch on the floor. Rune's gaze fell on that patch of light, and he vaguely recalled the scent of lilies in class, his sister's bright eyes, and Cecilia's words, "courage and kindness."

Rune withdrew his gaze.

"My mental age is already older than the two of them combined, so how can I still act impulsively like a young person?"

He paused, as if trying to find an excuse for himself.

"Is it because of hormones? It seems that children's hormone secretion really does affect a person's mind."

Rune's voice was very soft, so soft that it sounded like he was talking to himself.

"Kindness and courage... are indeed worthless."

After he said that, the room was silent for a few seconds.

A bird's chirp came from outside the window, crisp and short, and then disappeared.

Rune sat up straight and spread out another sheet of paper.

In fact, he already had a general plan, and his daily thinking was just about refining the details. But today, he went through Plan C again from the beginning, only to find that there was still no hope. It was like facing an invisible wall; no matter which angle he crashed into, he would only end up with a bloody head.

Plan A is still the most reliable.

They joined forces with Ainz Ooal Gown.

He wrote these words on the paper, his handwriting much steadyer than before.

Although he transmigrated into a nobleman of a kingdom and lost the power that should have come with him, this was still a stroke of luck amidst misfortune. The Kingdom of Riestize was the first country that Ainz Ooal Gown came into contact with. As long as he pledged allegiance early, like Carne Village in the original story, he wouldn't be treated as waste material. On the contrary, he could receive a lot of preferential treatment.