Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

He then sheathed his sword and looked solemnly at Feifei: "Even so, Lord Feifei still protected us. I will remember this kindness."

Feifei waved her hand, feigning indifference: "You flatter me, Captain. I consider you both close friends and there's no need for me to ask for anything in return."

Rune overheard the entire conversation and felt somewhat ashamed.

'Regarding him as a close friend… that sounds a bit like how he tricked Sebastian back then.'

Rune cleared his throat and interjected into their conversation at the opportune moment.

“Mr. Feifei, the sergeant is right. In any case, if it weren’t for Mr. Feifei’s help today, the sergeant and I would probably be standing here alive.”

He bowed slightly, his posture respectful: "The Aindora family will remember Lord Fei Fei's help."

Rune knew exactly what Nazarick wanted, so he wrote empty promises without any qualms.

The twilight deepened, and the clouds on the horizon had turned from dark red to grayish-purple, like an indelible layer of paint smeared on the skyline.

A few crows cawed in the distance, their calls echoing across the open plain.

The three of them walked towards Riblom Rashull.

The outline of the city gate has come into view.

But contrary to their expectations, the city gates were open, but there were no soldiers guarding the city.

The camp inside the city wall was also empty. The makeshift tents were still standing, but no one was inside.

Discarded supplies were scattered on the ground. Several bundles of hay were trampled and messy, and some broken wooden boxes lay crookedly on the road, empty inside.

“It seems that Marquis Brumrashu has already withdrawn.” Rune’s tone was flat, revealing no emotional fluctuation.

Gazef frowned and strode toward a military flag that still stood, the flagpole bearing the coat of arms of the Brumrash family, swaying gently in the evening breeze, but there was no one around.

Rune's gaze swept over the empty tents, finally settling on a relatively tidy area on the east side of the camp. There, the tents had not collapsed, the faint neighing of horses could be heard, and the light of several campfires was particularly conspicuous in the twilight.

That was where the cavalry of the Aindora territory were encamped.

Rune's lips curved slightly, but he quickly regained his calm expression.

He turned to Feifei and Gegef and said, "The cavalry of the Aindora territory are still here. Let's rest here for the night. Tomorrow morning, we'll go to see His Majesty the King together."

Gerdov nodded, and Feifei also nodded in agreement.

Night fell completely over the abandoned city.

A campfire was lit in an open area inside the city walls, its light illuminating a few makeshift tents. Gehrman, accompanied by several veterans, patrolled the edge of the camp, the rhythmic clatter of horses' hooves on the ground.

After dinner, Rune didn't rush back to his tent to rest. Instead, he walked up the inner steps of the city wall and stopped by the crenellations at the top of the wall.

The night breeze blew in from the direction of the Angelicica Mountains, carrying its unique coolness.

Rune leaned against the city wall, his gaze fixed on the distant plain swallowed by the night, pondering whether humanity's future would also crumble silently in the darkness, just like this city.

Footsteps came from behind.

Rune only turned around when the figure stopped beside him.

Good evening, Sergeant Major.

The warrior captain was still wearing that armor, with his sword hanging at his waist. Even though he was no longer on the battlefield, Gazef remained ready to fight at any time.

Gerdoff did not respond immediately.

He walked to Rune's side, leaned against the city wall, and cast his gaze toward the dark plain in the distance.

"Lord Rune."

Rune noticed that the other party had changed their form of address from "Lord Aindora" to "Lord Rune," probably because the battle had brought them closer.

Rune had assumed that Gazef had come to have a heart-to-heart talk with him, and he was prepared for the kind of conversation that comes between comrades.

"Actually... you've noticed it too, haven't you?" The sergeant hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

These words caught Rune completely off guard, and his body tensed up slightly.

Several thoughts flashed through Rune's mind in that instant.

What exactly is the sergeant referring to with this sudden question?

Or did he sense something?

Rune's mind raced as he considered Gazef's intentions.

A hint of confusion appeared on his face as he turned to look at Gerdov: "What did you figure out?"

Gerdoff's gaze remained fixed on the distance, his expression obscured by the darkness.

“What Mr. Feifei said during the day,” his voice was calm, “was he lying to us?”

Rune's mind went blank for a moment.

He carefully examined the tone and wording of Gerdev's words, trying to discern whether it was the soldier commander's own judgment or some kind of test.

'Even an honest person like the sergeant captain noticed that?'

He quickly recalled Gazef's performance in the original work. The Warrior Captain did have a keen intuition, but his reasoning ability was probably not outstanding.

Rune glanced discreetly at Gazef's hand, which was casually resting on the edge of the city wall, its posture natural, without any sign of deliberate clenching or stiffness.

He then observed the shadows surrounding Gerdov to confirm that there were no extra traces of his presence hidden within.

'At least on the surface, it doesn't seem like it's being controlled.'

But this judgment is not reliable in the face of Nazarick.

Rune still suspected that he might have revealed some weakness, leading to the Warrior Captain being replaced or controlled by the people of Nazarick, who then came to test him.

His expression shifted from confusion to contemplation, as if he were processing Gerdov's words.

"Why do you think that, Commander?"

Gerdoff sighed softly.

“Mr. Fei Fei said he was too exhausted to pursue the Demon Emperor. But after he defeated the Demon Emperor, he was still in good shape, so he didn’t look like he was exhausted at all.”

Rune listened, feeling even more nervous.

Was this a deliberate discovery by Gazeta, or a test by Nazarick?

Rune frantically considered the possibilities in his mind, but remained outwardly calm.

“Now that you mention it… there is some truth to it.” Rune decided to remain calm and see which aspect the other party planned to probe next. “Mr. Feifei’s posture certainly doesn’t resemble that of a warrior who has exhausted his stamina.”

He turned to look at Gerdov and threw the question back at him: "So, why does the sergeant think Mr. Fei Fei said that?"

Gerdoff turned his gaze back from the distance.

"...I think Mr. Feifei did this to make us feel better."

Rune blinked twice.

"To make us feel better?"

"Hmm." Gerdov finally blurted out what he had been holding back all the way.

“Mr. Feifei is a thoughtful person. He probably felt that if he told us directly that he released the Demon Emperor to save us, we would feel indebted. So he made up an excuse of ‘being physically exhausted’ to make us feel that he really did not have the ability to pursue, thus easing our mental burden.”

After listening to Gazef's explanation, Rune remained silent for a long while.

He silently typed a question mark in his mind.

It turns out that Gerdov had imagined this scenario.

The sergeant thought that Feifei was deliberately saying that she was physically exhausted in order to make them feel better.

For the first time, Rune truly felt the power of the rules of this other world's Dihua. Even an honest person like Gazef was so imaginative.

Moreover, this interpretation rationalizes Fei Fei's behavior as "loyal and righteous," perfectly aligning with the direction Nazarick hoped to lay the groundwork for.

Rune suppressed the subtle sense of absurdity in his heart and nodded in agreement with Gazef's words.

"...Soldier Commander is right."

Chapter 141 Feifei's Proposal

After a long talk throughout the night, Rune finally confirmed one thing.

The warrior captain was indeed simply overthinking things; he wasn't being controlled by Nazarick to test him.

Gerdoff believed that Feifei made up the excuse of "being physically exhausted" because she didn't want them to feel indebted.

The warrior captain's idea was so firm that Rune felt a little sorry for him.

But Rune could only remain silent.

If Gazeta knew the truth, it would probably really harm him.

The following morning, sunlight streamed in from the eastern side of the Angelicica Mountains, bathing the walls of Riblomrashur in a pale gold hue.

Rune set off early.

He counted the cavalrymen of Aindora's territory and confirmed the casualties.

Thanks to Rune's choice of location on the edge of the battlefield, the soldiers of the Aindora territory suffered almost no losses.

Logically, this inventory work should have been completed last night, but because the sergeant kept me talking for most of the night, it was delayed until this morning.

Thinking of this, Rune couldn't help but turn his head and cast a slightly resentful glance at Gazef.

Just then, Gerdov noticed his gaze and walked over, asking with concern, "Lord Rune, is there anything I can help you with?"

Rune: "..."

He paused for two seconds, then shook his head. "No, it's already been counted."

Gerd Ralph belatedly scratched the back of his head, giving a slightly apologetic look: "Sorry for keeping you up so late last night..."

“It’s alright,” Rune waved his hand, mounted his horse, and said, “Let’s go, it’s time to go find His Majesty.”

The troops broke camp and set off.

The warhorses traveled along the road leading to the capital.

The fields on both sides of the road were in a mess, with wheat straw trampled into the mud, and abandoned weapons and armor could be seen occasionally on the field ridges.

As Rune rode on his horse, his gaze swept over the ruined scene, and he sighed silently in his heart.