Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

The High Priest's voice faltered for a moment.

He silently and rapidly organized his thoughts in his mind.

The Grim Reaper's original words were: "That team leader is a coward. He will definitely change his appearance and hide. When you are looking for him, don't just focus on the strong. You should also keep an eye on the beggars on the roadside."

Is it okay to say that?

The High Priest silently prayed in his heart: Lord Death, I believe you will forgive my impolite revisions.

So he took a deep breath and said in a more solemn tone:

"The Grim Reaper said that you are rather... cautious and might change your appearance. He was worried that we wouldn't be able to recognize you, God of Judgment, so he left that divine decree."

'Sirshana is calling me a coward.' Rune quickly translated in his mind.

"I never expected you to choose to change your appearance..."

Looking at the innocent face of the six-year-old Rune, the High Priest swallowed back the words he was about to say. He used all his wisdom and cultivation to maintain a pious expression.

"So...young."

After saying that, he lowered his head, his expression extremely devout. There must be a reason why the God of Judgment would dress like this.

On Rune's forehead, a second clear "#" character is slowly emerging.

Chapter 22 Deception

In the dimly lit room, the candlelight resumed its steady flickering.

Rune calmed himself down, temporarily suppressing the troubling thoughts about Selshana. He raised his head, looking at the High Priest still kneeling on the ground, his gaze returning to its usual calm.

"There is a reason for that, of course."

His voice was calm and unhurried, carrying a composure completely out of character for his age.

The High Priest raised his head, his cloudy eyes filled with devout listening. The candlelight danced on his aged face, making the deep wrinkles on his face even more distinct.

"The Preya come into this world with great power," Rune paused, his gaze falling on the tapestry of the Grim Reaper on the wall, "but their lifespan is limited by their race."

The High Priest nodded slightly; he was naturally aware of this. Of the six great gods, apart from the God of Death, the others had all passed away due to the exhaustion of their lifespans. Even the God of Death had died five hundred years ago while defending the theocratic kingdom.

"My race is also human."

Rune withdrew his gaze and looked at the old man kneeling on the ground.

"Lifespan is limited."

He spoke softly, yet the High Priest's body trembled slightly.

A complex emotion flashed across that aged face.

Yes, although the God of Judgment is above all the gods, he is ultimately still of humankind. A hundred years later...

"So I chose to use world-class props."

Rune's voice interrupted the High Priest's thoughts.

"This body is a product of a world-class artifact."

He raised his hand and looked at his delicate, six-year-old hand. The candlelight fell on the back of his hand, making the thin skin almost transparent, revealing the faint blue veins underneath.

"Although I am very weak, my body can remain in a state of time freeze."

He lowered his hand and looked back at the High Priest.

"It has indirectly extended my lifespan, but the price is that I am temporarily unable to use my previous powers."

Rune was not telling the truth.

A god who is temporarily unable to use his power and a god who has completely lost his power are two different concepts.

Rune wasn't naive enough to place all his hopes on the faith of a strange old man, even if the old man's piety seemed flawless.

The High Priest remained silent for a few seconds.

Then he bowed deeply, his forehead almost touching the cold ground.

"Your Majesty, the God of Judgment, have painstakingly planned this for humanity..." His voice choked with emotion. "This old man, on behalf of the Kingdom, thanks Your Majesty."

Rune looked at his aged figure lying on the ground without saying a word.

The room was silent for a few seconds.

Then Rune spoke, his voice carrying a different meaning.

"Since the theocracy recognizes my identity as 'god'."

He paused.

"Then what about the command from 'God'?"

The High Priest raised his head, his cloudy eyes showing no hesitation.

"Follow nature."

In those eyes, there was only a pure, almost absolute devotion.

Rune looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Then he pulled out several neatly folded sheets of paper from his pocket.

The paper was fine parchment, its edges neatly cut, and it was densely covered with writing. It was the content that Rune had finalized after countless considerations and revisions.

"Then please complete these tasks."

Rune handed over the paper.

The High Priest respectfully accepted it with both hands, then lowered his head and began to read it carefully by the flickering candlelight.

The paper trembled slightly between his thin fingers.

Article 1, Article 2, Article 3...

His brows furrowed slightly at first, then gradually relaxed, finally settling into a thoughtful expression.

The candlelight flickered between the two, casting the writing on the paper on and off.

A long time passed.

The High Priest raised his head, a hint of doubt in his cloudy eyes.

"These are..."

He paused, as if considering his words.

These seemingly unrelated tasks—keeping Rune's identity a secret, spreading rumors, searching for someone, and...

Even at the very end, they specifically demanded that all existing plans and policies of the church be kept unchanged.

These things are indeed not difficult for the Church.

But the problem is

Why do we need to do these things?

Rune looked at his puzzled face and a slight smile appeared on his lips.

"It may be alright to tell you all."

His voice was flat, as if he were talking about something very ordinary.

"Thirteen years from now, a powerful alien Prea guild will descend upon the land."

The High Priest's pupils suddenly contracted.

"The world will be shrouded in its reign of terror."

Rune's tone remained calm, but there was something heavy in his light green eyes.

"These preparations are for dealing with this alien guild."

He did not specify the exact strength of the Ainz Ooal Gown guild.

Some things, if said aloud, will only increase panic.

The High Priest was stunned.

On that aged face, the expression shifted several times: shock, disbelief, and then deep worry.

Thirteen years later...

Alien Prea Guild...

How did the deity know about the events thirteen years later, and about this strange guild...?

The High Priest took a deep breath, suppressing all his doubts. He raised his head again, his cloudy eyes now filled with an almost resolute determination.

"Please rest assured, Your Majesty the Judge."

His voice no longer trembled; it was as steady as a rock.

"The Theocracy must fulfill your lord's oracle."

Rune looked at him.

The candlelight flickered between the two, illuminating every wrinkle on that aged face clearly. Those wrinkles bore the marks of time, but also something deeper, something more ancient.

That is faith.

Rune breathed a slight sigh of relief.

With the preliminary preparations for Plan C complete, I can finally relax.

He withdrew his gaze and looked at the tapestry of death on the wall. In the tapestry, Sirshana, holding a scythe, with a solemn expression, was staring at the two people in the room with his perpetually open skeletal eyes.

'Hakisha, you bastard.' Rune thought to himself, 'In the end, I'll still have to rely on the power you left behind...'

He paused, a hint of self-deprecation in his voice.

'Still through this deception.'

The High Priest had already stood up, carefully folded the paper, and put it into his pocket.

"So, what's next?"

Rune snapped out of his thoughts and looked at him.