Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Shalltear almost froze.

"……Where?"

"It's at an inn in Yelantil."

She vaguely guessed who the man in black armor was, and unease instantly welled up in her heart.

Why have you come here?

"We were responsible for protecting the town when we heard that a bandit's den had come to investigate. So we split into two groups, and we were responsible for a forced reconnaissance mission."

"Split into two groups?"

"Yes. The other team will lure the enemy into the trap area."

“There’s another team,” Shalltear clicked her tongue. “How many of you are there?”

"There are seven people in total, including myself."

"Wait, seven people? Wasn't it six?"

"Yes, there is also a guerrilla. In case of an emergency, he will go to Yelantier for help."

"What did you say……?"

Shalltear opened her eyes wide and rushed to the edge of the depression in an instant, looking around, but still could not see the depths of the forest.

"hateful!"

They escaped.

She growled through gritted teeth.

"My livestock!"

Several black wolves emerged from the shadows; they were level seven monsters, vampire wolves.

"Chase them! Bite them all to death!"

Ten vampire wolves charged into the forest, but since the enemy was a guerrilla force, they probably already knew how to evade pursuit.

Shalltear hurriedly returned to the female warrior's side and asked sternly, "Is it possible that the guerrilla soldier will rendezvous with other teams?"

"No. The plan stipulates that if a situation arises where the entire force may be wiped out, he must abandon the team and return to the city."

This caution, which leaves room for retreat in case of failure, only fueled Shalltear's anger.

"Humans, to think they have so many clever ideas!"

The information about the vampires has been brought back to town. Ainz ordered her to arrest the criminals without causing a disturbance, but she has already broken quite a few rules.

"It's alright...it's alright."

She seemed to be hypnotizing herself.

Their names and information about Nazarick have not been revealed, so it is not yet possible to connect vampires with them.

The real problem is what to do with this woman. Killing her might hinder Ainz's goals, while letting her go back would leak information.

"Oh no, Lord Ainz will scold me..."

She held her head in her hands, deep in thought, and the more she thought about it, the more regretful she became.

In the end, she concluded that it might be more advantageous to let her go than to kill her.

Shalltear held her head and slowly squatted down.

"I'm sure I'll get yelled at..."

Just then, she suddenly looked up towards the forest. The livestock she had summoned vanished instantly; they had been killed.

"After you've settled that woman in, come after me!"

Shalltear rushed into the forest with lightning speed.

We traversed the forest to reach the place where the livestock had their final resting place.

Twelve people appeared before her, all fully armed. Their uniquely crafted shapes suggested they were legendary or higher-grade artifacts. Shalltear examined them one by one, finally fixing her gaze on a man.

This man is very strong, far surpassing the vampire bride in strength.

He was dressed in masculine attire, yet his appearance was quite androgynous. His black hair grew almost to the ground, and his sharp, red eyes revealed a wary expression as he held a cheap, worn-out spear.

"use!"

The man spoke in a cold voice. Panic broke out in the group.

At the center of the group stood a woman with unusual attire, wearing a silver-white cheongsam embroidered with a five-clawed dragon in gold thread. However, the woman's face was covered in wrinkles, making the outfit quite unsuitable. Shalltear deliberately shifted her gaze.

However, this was the final twist of fate.

The cheongsam was called "Alluring Beauty," a treasure left behind by their god, whose power even surpassed that of Shalltear.

A chill ran through me.

Shalltear, a guardian of the highest rank, trembled. Her eyes darted around, and she decided to grab the old woman; the human was the one she had to kill.

Just as she was about to make her move, the gunman rushed in.

"Get out of my way!"

Shalltear used all her strength to send him flying. Although the man was knocked away, he did not die and still maintained his fighting spirit.

Shalltear casts a spell centered on the old woman: [Capture the entire race group].

She wanted to capture these people to salvage her composure.

However, in the next instant, Shalltear's mind went blank.

That was mind control. As an undead being, she should have been completely immune to mind control, but her mind was still being controlled. She fought desperately, the worst possible scenarios flashing through her mind.

"Ah ah!"

She cried out in agony, resisting with tears of blood streaming down her face. Her consciousness continued to fade, rendering her unable to use teleportation magic.

Shalltear uses her special ability to create the Purifying Throwing Gun, a massive spear imbued with divine attributes. Paying extra MP grants it the additional ability of absolute accuracy.

She fought back desperately, glaring at the old woman.

Then throw it.

Just now.

A figure suddenly appeared on the battlefield. A girl with heterochromatic hair and eyes, clad in pale yellow armor, spread her fingers to meet the deadly light spear.

"【The loving protection of the earth】."

Her innate ability was activated. The Earth God's signature technique from her lifetime was recreated in her hands; layers of amber shields, as thick as the earth itself, formed. The light spear collided with the shield, unleashing a deafening roar.

Shalltear's blood and tears had not yet dried when her pupils suddenly contracted.

She blocked it. That Pure Throwing Gun, which consumed a large amount of her MP and possessed absolute accuracy, was actually blocked by a human.

Chapter 46 Capturing Shalltear

The quiet throwing gun dissipated in the night sky, turning into countless tiny specks of light, like fireflies on a summer river, shining briefly before being completely extinguished in the darkness.

Shalltear also wanted to use her special ability to summon a Cleanse Throwing Gun.

But it was too late.

Her consciousness had completely turned white. It was a blankness more complete than death, as if something had completely ripped away her thoughts, leaving only an empty shell standing there.

Then, Shalltear knelt down before the old woman dressed in "Peerless Beauty".

Her movements were incredibly fluid, without the slightest hesitation, as if she was born to do so.

The sound of the knees hitting the ground was soft, yet it was like the final hammer blow of some kind of ritual, announcing that the guardians of the first to third underground levels of the great tomb had become a thing of the past at this moment.

"grown ups."

His eyes were full of respect.

Her gaze was devout and fervent, a stark contrast to the bloodthirsty and violent True Ancestor she had just been. She knelt there, her long silver hair spread out on the ground like a piece of silk soaked in moonlight.

The battlefield fell silent at that moment.

The black-haired man with the gun lowered it, a complex light flashing in his sharp, red-jade eyes.

The other members of the Dark Scripture also lowered their guard, but did not completely put down their weapons.

Old woman Kerry stood there, her wrinkled face expressionless.

Her stunning beauty gleamed with a cold, eerie light under the moonlight, and the five-clawed dragon embroidered in gold thread seemed to sway gently in the night breeze.

Jue Si Jue Ming withdrew the hand that had blocked Qing Jing's thrown gun.

The pale yellow armor still retained a faint afterglow of divine power, with tiny specks of light slowly drifting down from the edges of the armor plates, flickering like fireflies in the night breeze.

"How will you be here?"

The voice of the chief of the Dark Codex broke the silence.

He took two steps forward, his gaze falling on Zesshi Zesshi, his androgynous face showing obvious confusion.

As the highest-level combat force of the Theocracy, Zesshi Zesshi was not supposed to be involved in this operation, let alone suddenly intervene without prior notice.

Zetsu no Shiki did not answer this question directly.

She merely tilted her head slightly, her heterochromatic eyes appearing exceptionally deep in the moonlight. Her left eye was pure white, her right eye jet black; the two strikingly different colors achieved a strange harmony on the same face.

The quest related to the [Destruction Dragon King] has been cancelled.

Her voice remained in that detached tone, as if she were talking about something trivial. But her eyes remained fixed on Shalltear, who was kneeling on the ground, with a scrutinizing, thoughtful look in them.

The chief of the Dark Codex frowned slightly.

"Cancelled?"

"Our task now is to take her with us."

Zetsuki raised his chin and nodded in Shalltear's direction. The True Ancestor, who had just struck fear into the hearts of the entire mercenary group, was now kneeling quietly in the moonlight, like a delicate doll whose soul had been ripped from its body.

“Take her to the sacred domain of the Holy Kingdom.”

Zesshi Zesshi finally shifted his gaze from Shalltear to the chief of the Black Codex. His heterochromatic eyes held no superfluous emotion, only a calm, unwavering certainty.