Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Sebastian watched him silently.

The sound of rain outside the window filled the silence.

'No.'

Sebastian made his decision.

'This wasn't done by the thieves and mercenaries that Mr. Rune wanted to eradicate.'

The timing doesn't match.

Sebastian knew that the mercenary group had been wiped out by Shalltear.

When Shalltear destroyed the "Swords of Death," the Baron's bastard son was still alive and well.

It's impossible for a band of thieves that has been completely wiped out to suddenly reappear a few days later and kill a nobleman's illegitimate son.

'It was definitely the second son who did it.'

Sebastian's gaze darkened slightly.

The baron's second son, in order to ensure a smooth inheritance of the title and territory.

He killed his brother.

Human beings.

Sebastian sighed softly to himself.

It's clearly a superior species.

Why would brothers kill each other for a little bit of profit?

Seeing Rune's remorseful expression, Sebas hesitated for a moment.

"perhaps……"

Sebastian spoke.

His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a unique calmness.

"It's a struggle over titles."

Rune looked up at him.

Sebastian's expression remained unchanged, gentle and calm. But a hint of heaviness appeared in his light gray eyes.

"Mr. Rune need not blame himself too much."

He paused.

"There may be more to this story than meets the eye."

The words were spoken very tactfully, as if carefully comforting a kind young man.

Rune looked at Sebastian's wrinkled face.

He suppressed the urge to speak.

We can't let that curve rise; now is the time for depth.

You absolutely must not laugh.

Rune took a deep breath, a profound, thoughtful expression appearing on his young face.

He picked up the cup of black tea, which had gone cold, but didn't drink it. He held it in his hand, his gaze fixed on the thin layer of condensation on the cup.

"That's true."

Rune's voice was soft, yet it carried a sense of world-weariness that didn't belong to a twenty-year-old.

"The nobles of the kingdom are always fighting each other for even the smallest bit of power and profit."

Rune raised his head, his gaze passing over Sebastian and landing on the gray, misty rain outside the window. The raindrops slanted and wove a fine net, enveloping the entire capital city.

"For the ownership of territories and power." His voice was slow and heavy, as if he were savoring the weight of each word. "Even brothers will fight to the death."

Rune paused, then looked away and turned to Sebastian.

"It's the same no matter where you are."

Rune's lips curled into a bitter smile.

"I suppose the empire where Mr. Sebas resides is the same."

Sebastian did not answer immediately.

Is it the same everywhere?

Sebastian repeated the sentence to himself.

Then, a thought naturally came to mind.

'No.'

He said to himself.

'At least this kind of thing would never happen in Nazarick.'

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Sebastian's thoughts drifted away.

He thought of Lord Ainz.

That great ruler, the absolute sovereign of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

No.

Sebastian revised his statement in his mind.

Lord Ainz is indeed the supreme ruler of Nazarick, but he has never regarded himself as a being above the other "Supreme Beings".

In Nazarick, these ugly struggles never existed among the "Supreme Lords." Even if there were occasional disputes, they remained merely superficial.

They trusted each other.

They entrusted each other with their lives.

They regarded each other as true companions.

"Mr. Sebastian?"

Rune's voice brought Sebastian back to reality.

"Mr. Sebastian?"

Sebastian blinked, and a rare, almost imperceptible look of disorientation appeared on his wrinkled face.

"Excuse me."

He bowed slightly, his voice steady, but a beat slower than usual.

"I was thinking about something else just now."

Rune looked at him, a slight smile curving his lips.

“Is that so?” His tone held a hint of curiosity, but he didn’t press further. “It’s quite rare to see Mr. Sebastian lost in thought.”

Sebastian offered no explanation.

He simply sat up straight again, resuming the proper posture befitting an old butler.

Rune didn't seem to mind. He put down the now-cold cup of red tea, leaned back in his chair, and his expression gradually returned to its usual gentleness.

That's enough.

He thought to himself.

Although Sebastian phrased it euphemistically as "a struggle for the title," Rune could tell that Sebastian had already decided that the second son was the real culprit.

Sebastian didn't respond to his own comment about "it's all the same no matter where you are," but he was lost in thought.

The fact that he was distracted means that Sebastian at least remembered that sentence.

Planting this seed for now is enough. No more is needed.

“Well then,” he looked at Sebastian, his tone more relaxed, “Mr. Sebastian, is there something you need today?”

Chapter 67 Frost Dragon King

Sebastian took a book from his pocket.

Rune's gaze fell on the cover of the book, and his pupils contracted slightly.

The Travels of Aindora.

That familiar binding, that familiar font, that familiar silhouette of distant mountains—Rune knew this book all too well. Because it was written by him.

This book is the product of his careful wrapping of his enlightenment thoughts from his previous life into his travelogue and observations. The outline of the distant mountains on the cover is also a sketch he drew himself.

The edges of the book were slightly curled, and traces of repeated reading could be faintly seen between the pages, clearly indicating that it was not a prop temporarily brought in to fill the space.

“After my young lady arrived in the kingdom, she read Mr. Rune’s works.” Sebastian’s voice was calm and respectful as he held the book with both hands, his posture upright, as if he were displaying a precious collectible.

Rune felt his thoughts freeze for a moment.

Suoliuxiang?

Read his books?

That Nazarick battle maid, an evil creature with a justice value of -400, is reading his "Journey to Aindora".

Rune tried to visualize the scene in his mind.

Suo Liuxiang sat by the window, sunlight shining on her delicate face. Her slender fingers turned the pages of a book, her eyes intently scanning the lines of text.

She nodded slightly when she came to a particularly interesting passage. Then she closed the book, a thoughtful expression on her face…

The imagined scene suddenly shattered like a bubble; Rune's ghostly mind simply couldn't support such an incongruous image.

No.

Rune shook his head violently in his mind.

No matter how you look at it, that slime couldn't possibly read it. Solusang's interest in humans is probably limited to the death throes of his prey and the tactile sensation of flesh slowly dissolving within him.

She would probably only see human books as impurities on food.