Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

"Your Majesty, my department is responsible for the left flank."

The left flank, the very edge of the entire battle line, is the easiest place to evacuate, but it also means that one will contribute the least to this "certain victory" battle.

The old foxes present all understood this.

No one voiced any objection.

Although the left flank is remote, it still needs to be defended. Since Aindora took on this "thankless and arduous position," it saved them the effort.

On the high platform, Lambusa III's gaze fell on Rune and lingered for a moment.

"can."

Feifei, sitting in the middle of the long table, remained silent, only tilting her helmet slightly as if observing something, but she never spoke.

Once Lord Raven confirmed the deployment plans for each unit, the atmosphere in the reception room relaxed slightly, and the nobles exchanged glances.

Gazef stood beside the king, who sat on a simple throne. The edges of his silver armor reflected the light in narrow beams, but his brow remained slightly furrowed.

As the war drew nearer, he felt increasingly uneasy.

Only when the murmurs in the living room gradually subsided did Gerdoff suddenly speak.

All eyes were on him.

Ignoring the stares, Gerdov faced the platform and gave a standard military salute.

"His Majesty!"

His voice was unusually solemn.

Queen Lambusa III's gaze fell upon him, and she nodded slightly.

"Soldier Captain, please speak."

Gerdoff met the pair of cloudy yet still sharp eyes on the platform with a calm gaze.

"I was attacked in the village of Carne. At that time, a very powerful magic chanter came to my aid. Without his help, I would probably have died in that battle."

"The magic caster calls himself Ainz Ooal Gown. I believe that if we can invite him to join us in this battle, our chances of winning will greatly increase."

There was a moment of silence in the reception room.

'Good grief, classic case of me hitting myself.' Rune suppressed a smile, successfully holding back once again.

The nobles exchanged glances, and the Marquis of Borrolope's brow furrowed noticeably.

On the high platform, King Lambusa III remained silent, pondering the warrior captain's proposal and awaiting the nobles' reaction.

A voice rang out from the end of the long table.

"Sir, Commander."

The one who spoke was a baron in his early forties, with an ordinary face, wearing a slightly worn dark suit.

He clearly held little weight among the nobility and held a rather obscure position, but since he was able to attend, he was probably someone's follower.

"The Ainz Ooal Gown you mentioned has an unknown origin. His appearance in Carne Village may have been a coincidence, or it may have been premeditated."

"With a major battle imminent, rashly inviting an unidentified outsider to participate in the fight could have disastrous consequences if he were a member of the Demon King's camp and managed to infiltrate our army."

Rune was somewhat surprised when he heard the words of the unknown baron, not expecting that the kingdom would have such a genius.

Although Rune knew that the other party was merely a pawn sent by the kingdom's nobles to routinely refute the commoner's suggestion, the warrior chief, it just so happened that he was right.

But that accidental accuracy still made him silently remember the baron. If the man was still alive after the battle, perhaps he was worth keeping an eye on.

Gerdoff's lips moved, as if he was about to retort.

“Sir, Commander of the Warriors,” another voice took over, belonging to a middle-aged nobleman sitting next to Marquis Brumrash, his tone carrying a hint of indifference.

"Besides, so much time has passed. It's unknown whether this person is still within the kingdom's borders. Sending people to search for him in just ten days is like looking for a needle in a haystack."

“Indeed.” Marquis Borrolope finally spoke. His face, covered with old scars, was expressionless, but his voice carried an undeniable weight. “The Warrior Commander’s intentions are good, but it is clearly too late now.”

Gazef stood silently in place, genuinely unaware of Ainz Ooal Gown's current whereabouts.

There has been no news of that magic chanter since that day.

But he knew that the man was very strong.

It was so powerful that he still feels lingering fear when he thinks about it.

But at the same time, there is an indescribable certainty that if that person were there, perhaps something could really be changed.

Gerdoff spoke again.

"Your Majesty, I just feel that... if there is even a glimmer of hope, we should not give up easily."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the faces of the nobles.

“I understand your concerns, but I have witnessed his strength firsthand. If he intends to harm the kingdom, then there is no need to intervene in Carne Village.”

The atmosphere in the reception room was as if a thin layer of ice had been frozen over.

King Rambusha III remained silent for a long time, his gaze slowly sweeping over everyone present.

Finally, he made a decision based on the attitudes of the nobles.

"I understand the sergeant's intentions."

He paused.

"But with war imminent, it is indeed not advisable to be distracted by other matters. This matter... shall be put aside for now."

Gerdoff lowered his eyes.

"...Yes, Your Majesty."

Rune saw all of this but said nothing; he didn't want to attract any extra attention at this juncture.

The meeting drew to a close in a delicate atmosphere.

The nobles rose and left, and the sound of conversation returned to the drawing room, as if the brief argument had never happened.

Rune did not leave in a hurry.

He remained seated until most of the people had left before standing up and walking towards the side door.

The evening breeze swept into the corridor, carrying the scents of earth and withered grass.

Gehrman was leaning against the corridor wall outside the side door. The veteran's posture seemed casual, but his eyes were fixed on both ends of the corridor until Rune came out, at which point he relaxed his shoulders slightly.

“Sir.” He lowered his voice.

Rune walked up to him and stopped.

"The war will begin in ten days." Rune's voice was low, only two people could hear it. "Be on your guard. If things turn out badly, take the soldiers and retreat."

Gehrman's eyebrow twitched.

"And what about you, sir?"

Rune glanced at him.

"Of course I'll leave too."

Gehrman nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

"clear."

Rune patted him on the shoulder.

As dusk deepened, it cast a dark red glow over the distant silhouette of the Angelicca Mountains.

Chapter 138 Brutal Battle

Ten days later.

The wind, carrying the smell of dust, swept down from the direction of the Angelicica Mountains, fluttering the flags bearing the kingdom's emblem.

The kingdom's army of 150,000 men spread out across this open area, their ranks extending from the center to the flanks.

The nobles' warhorses strolled along the gentle slope behind the army. They sat on their backs, looking down at the army formation with smug smiles on their faces.

Some people were talking in hushed tones, occasionally letting out a soft laugh, as if they had already won half the battle.

But the soldiers in the ranks were pale-faced, their eyes fixed on the empty plain ahead, wondering what was about to emerge from there.

Rune rode on horseback in the area he was responsible for on the left flank, unlike the other nobles who hid in the rear.

Rune has memorized the entire battle plan.

The central formation was the thickest, with the Marquis of Brumlasio's banner fluttering in the wind, while the Marquis of Borroloop on the right wing and the Marquis of Pespaia on the left wing were positioned on either side.

Rune and his cavalry were positioned at the very edge of the battle line, almost a distance from the main battlefield.

The calm on the battlefield did not last long.

Moving black dots appeared on the distant horizon, starting as just a few scattered ones, then increasing in number and merging into one in the sunlight.

Low-ranking demons surged from the direction of the Angelicica Mountains, their steps disordered, each wielding a variety of weapons, spreading out a dark wave across the plain.

Undead figures mingled among them, the creaking of skeletons creating an unsettling rhythm.

Then the sound of horns rang out from the direction of the central array of the kingdom.

The kingdom's soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, and many of them had their lips moving slightly, probably whispering prayers to the gods.

Rune's gaze passed over the approaching gray wave and landed on a higher position.

A figure far more conspicuous than the low-level demon appeared in the sky.

The monster was wearing a suit of armor that was open in the front, revealing its well-defined abdominal muscles, the muscle lines gleaming healthily in the sunlight.

A pair of black bat-like wings flapped behind him, and two curved horns extended from his temples.

His face was strikingly handsome, with features that resembled a meticulously sculpted work of art, but his eyes radiated an insatiable desire.

According to the kingdom's records, this is the Demon King Sagara.

However, Rune has confirmed that the Demon King Sagara is actually a greedy demon general under Demiurge.

Rune's gaze lingered on the Greedy Demon General for only a moment before he continued searching behind him.

In the shadows shrouded by low-ranking demons, he tried to find if there were any other figures.