Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Eat slowly.

"Mmmm."

Rune lowered his head and ate his food, his movements much more refined than Si's.

The count cut the meat on his plate, his gaze shifting between the two children before finally settling on Rune.

“Rune”.

"exist."

"Have you been teaching Si swordsmanship all afternoon?"

"Yes."

The count nodded and remained silent for a few seconds.

“You’ve taught me very well,” he said, his tone still indifferent. “But don’t forget your studies. Cecilia said you don’t have much talent in magic, so work on your swordsmanship. The Eindora family doesn’t need an heir who only knows how to play around.”

Rune lowered his eyes.

"Yes, Father."

"And another thing," the count paused, "have you been reading some strange books lately?"

Rune's heart tightened.

But there was no change in his face.

"what book?"

The count looked at him with a scrutinizing gaze. "I heard from Aldred that you had a lot of historical books brought to you. Those things are too early for you."

Rune breathed a sigh of relief.

So that's what it is.

Wait a minute, it seems like Rune has never read any strange books in his life.

What was that strange feeling of guilt I had just felt?

Rune poked at the roast chicken on his plate, silently trying to justify his inexplicable guilt. He figured it was probably the lingering effects of being caught by his mom for secretly staying up late playing games in his past life.

“Those books…” he began cautiously, “I just want to learn about the kingdom’s past wars.”

"Oh?" The count raised an eyebrow. "What did you see?"

“I see…” Rune paused, then said seriously, “When fighting, you must be careful not to be ambushed by a third party.”

The restaurant fell silent for a moment.

The count paused slightly in his grip on the knife and fork, and a subtle change appeared in his gaze as he looked at Rune.

The mother covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

Si didn't understand at all, but she still nodded vigorously in support: "Onii-chan is right!"

The count was silent for a few seconds, then put down his knife and fork, picked up a napkin, and wiped his mouth.

"To be able to see this at six years old," he said in a calm tone, but the corners of his eyes seemed to curve slightly. "It seems you really haven't been reading any strange books."

Rune: "..."

That sounds a bit strange.

Chapter 7 Night

Night had fallen, and the Aindora mansion was at its quietest time of day.

The wall lamp at the end of the corridor was still lit, its soft magic crystal light filtering through the translucent lampshade and spilling onto the carpet like a thin layer of frost. The servants had finished their day's work, and the only sounds in the entire mansion were the occasional, almost inaudible footsteps.

Rune lay on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

The ceiling was rather dim in the night, and Rune was getting a little tired of looking at it.

He rolled over and faced the wall.

Suddenly the door was pushed open.

It was a very soft sound; if Rune hadn't been awake, it would have been almost inaudible.

He didn't move, remaining facing the wall, but simply pricked up his ears.

The faint sound of barefoot footsteps on the carpet was almost inaudible, just a very slight rustling. Then there was a sound, like something being dragged.

Before Rune could turn around, a corner of the blanket behind him was lifted, and a warm little thing crawled in.

"Onii-chan"

Si's voice was very low, with a hint of guilt in it, as a small hand rested on Rune's shoulder, "Are you asleep?"

Rune was silent for a second.

"She's asleep."

"Liar." Si poked his shoulder. "You can still talk while you're asleep?"

"daydream."

Si burst out laughing, quickly covering her mouth while poking him with her other hand: "Onii-chan is so silly, you wouldn't talk like that in your sleep."

Rune turned away helplessly.

By the moonlight streaming in through the window, he could make out Si's appearance. Her golden hair was a little messy, clearly from rolling around on his pillow. She was clutching a pillow in her arms—her "equipment." She was wearing a white nightgown, the lace at the neckline askew, probably from running over.

Moonlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains, falling on her face and illuminating her bright, sparkling eyes.

"Why did you come here?" Rune asked.

"I can't sleep," Si said matter-of-factly.

"So you're here to bother me?"

"It's not about making noise." Si put the pillow in her arms back down, then shrank further into the blankets, leaving only her eyes showing. "It's about keeping Onii-chan company. I'm scared to sleep alone."

When did I ever say I was afraid?

“Onii-chan didn’t say, but…” Su blinked, “but I think Onii-chan might be scared. So I came to keep you company.”

Rune looked at her.

Those eyes shone brightly in the darkness, filled with undisguised seriousness.

He wanted to say that I didn't need to stay with you, that you're the younger sister and I should be the one to stay with you, and that you should go back to sleep and go to class tomorrow.

But in the end he said nothing.

They simply moved it to the side to make more room for the silk.

"Go to sleep."

"Mmm!" Si responded contentedly, then suddenly seemed to remember something, "Onii-chan, tomorrow..."

"I have to go to class all day tomorrow, and I've already spent the whole afternoon playing with you today."

"I know," Si's voice carried a hint of emotion, "but... Onii-chan, can you take me out to play tomorrow?"

Rune paused for a moment.

"Going out to play?"

“Hmm.” Si pulled the blanket down a bit, revealing her entire face, and looked at him earnestly. “Just going out for a trip. Not far, just a walk around outside. I heard from Butler Aldred that the market in the capital is very lively, with all sorts of things for sale…”

Her voice gradually lowered, but her eyes grew brighter and brighter, as if she had captured all those lively scenes in her pupils.

Rune looked at her and suddenly remembered that afternoon a few months ago.

It was the same request back then, but he took the initiative to make it. He wanted to tease his overly obedient younger sister and see her panicked reaction.

"Sis, let's skip class tomorrow, how about Onii-chan takes you out to play?"

Little Silk's eyes widened like a frightened fawn. She nervously twisted the hem of her skirt, her voice trembling with tears, "But...but Teacher Cecilia will be angry...and Father will too..."

I went in the end anyway.

Rune secretly slipped out of the manor with a top student who was on the verge of tears. The sun was shining brightly that morning, and the streets were bustling with people. Rune still remembers Si's transformation from being nervous at first to being unable to walk away from the toy stall, and then to the smile on her face on the way back, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons as she hugged the little trinkets.

They were prepared to be scolded and tiptoed back to the mansion.

However, nothing happened.

The Earl was still in his study handling official business. He merely nodded when he saw them, seemingly unaware of anything amiss. The next day in class, Ms. Cecilia didn't mention the previous day's events at all, only a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

Rune later realized that Cecilia was probably happy to have an easy time, slacking off and getting paid for nothing. Who would tell on such a good thing?

Rune knows this all too well.

He just didn't expect that from then on, it was as if a switch had been flipped on for Si.

"Onii-chan, can we go again tomorrow?"

"Onii-chan, this weekend..."

"Onii-chan, I heard a new place opened on East Street..."

The soft, sweet calls of "Onii-chan" rained down on him, and Rune found himself completely overwhelmed. He began to carefully try to find a balance between Cecilia-sensei and Su, counting down the days to plan his "trips." If he did it too often, Cecilia-sensei would surely find out from his father.

At a young age, Rune became a master of time management.

Unable to resist Sue's repeated calls of "Onii-chan," Rune was forced to agree.

Anyway, it's been a month since I skipped class last time, so it should be fine, right?

The moonlight fell quietly on the pillow, and Si's breathing gradually became steady. Rune turned his head and looked at that sleeping little face, her eyelashes casting a light shadow in the moonlight.

He suddenly felt a little dazed.

The more a person possesses, the less courage they have.

Plan A, the conservative version, is still too risky.

Alternatively, we could implement Plan B, which is the least risky and simplest approach in the early stages. It's so simple that Rune doesn't need to write out a complex decision tree on paper.

run away.

The whole family moved to the Argland Council.