Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

The Kingdom of Argrand is located northwest of the Kingdom of Riestij. Its territory is a peninsula surrounded by the sea on three sides, with a mountainous terrain, and it faces the Kingdom of Lobul across the sea.

This is also the kingdom that, up to the time of Rune's previous incarnation, had not yet been conquered by Ainz Ooal Gown in the latest volume of Maruyama's story.

Hiding here can ensure temporary peace, and with his uncle Azis Aiindora also working there, it won't be difficult to gain a foothold.

However, the reality of this alternate world is not Maruyama's novel.

The old thief can just stop updating whenever he wants, but Ainz Ooal Gown won't stop his conquest.

"I could probably live a carefree life for another two or three years if I escaped to the Council of Argrand." Rune pondered this with difficulty, as his previous life was quite a long time ago.

As for the surrounding human countries, Ainz Ooal Gown has conquered almost all of them.

It's not even as good as a kingdom. If you run around and get caught like a sheep, you'll really be worse off than dead.

As a supplier of raw materials for human skin scrolls, they are considered good.

If I became Demiurge's grafting experiment, grafting orc materials onto myself, wouldn't I become a "burnt Fury"?

That's the real deal when it comes to spicy meatballs.

Rune had no intention of going to the orc kingdom.

Even if the Eindora family went, they would only become a dish.

This is a dish in the true sense of the word. Many orcs in this world enjoy eating people, even 600 years ago, before the six great gods traveled here.

Humans are domesticated like livestock, and the beastmen don't care whether you're a noble or not. Perhaps in their value system, the meat of human nobles tastes better.

Rune regained his senses and realized that he still couldn't execute Plan B.

Chapter 8 The Shadow of the Royal Capital

The next morning, Rune was awakened by a slight noise.

He opened his eyes and found the bed beside him empty. A trace of warmth remained on the pillow, indicating that Si had only recently left.

Rune sat up and rubbed his eyes.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten, and the morning light filtered through the gaps in the curtains, drawing a pale golden line on the floor. In the distance, the faint chirping of birds and the subtle sounds of servants beginning their work could be heard.

"You're awake so early?" Rune muttered, turning over and getting out of bed.

After he finished washing up and changing his clothes, he came out of the room and saw Si already standing at the end of the corridor waiting for him. Today she was wearing a light blue dress with a white bow at the neckline, and her golden hair was braided into two loose braids that hung down in front of her chest, making her look like a delicate doll.

"Onii-chan!" Her eyes lit up the moment she saw Rune. "Hurry, hurry, the sun's already up!"

Rune glanced at the rising sun outside the window and remained silent for a second.

"It's only a few o'clock..."

"It's getting late!" Silk ran over, grabbed his sleeve, and pulled him outside. "The market is most lively in the morning, that's what Butler Aldred said!"

Rune was dragged along by her, and sighed helplessly.

Two small figures walked along the streets of the capital towards the market.

"Look, Onii-chan!" Su excitedly pointed into the distance and exclaimed, "What's that pointed roof over there?"

“It’s probably a temple,” Rune glanced at it.

"A temple? Which god is it dedicated to?"

“I don’t know,” Rune replied lazily. “It could be the water god, or it could be the earth god. There are many temples in the capital, and they all look pretty much the same.”

Si nodded thoughtfully, then turned her gaze to the market entrance.

Although it's called an entrance, it's actually a street that's not very wide, with all sorts of stalls crammed on both sides. You can find almost anything you can think of here: cloth, iron, grain, medicine.

The air was filled with a mixture of smells: the aroma of toasted bread, the salty smell of cured meat, the fresh scent of fruits and vegetables, and the dusty smell stirred up by the crowd.

"Wow!" Si stood at the street corner, her eyes wide open. "It's so lively..."

“Let’s go.” Rune took her hand. “Stay close to me, don’t get lost.”

The two squeezed into the crowd.

Silk was curious about everything. She stopped in front of a fabric stall and stared at the colorful fabrics for a long time; then she stopped in front of the blacksmith's stall and stared blankly at the shiny knives and farm tools; finally, she was attracted by a stall selling candied fruit and looked at Rune longingly.

Rune took out his money, bought a small packet, and stuffed it into her hand.

Si held the bag of fruit, took a small bite, and her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

"It's delicious!" she mumbled. "Onii-chan, you should eat some too!"

She held the fruit to Rune's lips.

Rune lowered his head and took a bite.

It is indeed quite sweet.

The two continued walking. Si ate fruit while looking around and asking questions.

"Onii-chan, what's that smoking thing?"

"It's probably a barbecue stall."

"What about that? The place where there are lots of people queuing?"

"They sell bread, right?"

The market was getting more and more crowded, with people jostling shoulder to shoulder. Rune held Silk's hand tightly, afraid she would be separated from him in the jostling. Silk, on the other hand, wasn't afraid; instead, she found it fascinating and would occasionally tiptoe to peek into the crowd.

As the sun rose higher, the market grew increasingly lively. Having long since finished the fruit, Si's eyes were now fixed on the honey cake stall.

Just as Rune was about to take out his money, he suddenly heard a faint sound.

It sounded like crying.

It was very soft and oppressive, almost inaudible amidst the cacophony of voices.

Rune stopped and frowned.

"Onii-chan?" Su noticed his unusual behavior. "What's wrong?"

Rune listened intently; the sound seemed to be coming from a nearby alley. He didn't want to get involved, but there was an undeniable despair in the crying.

"It's Baron Rivian! Another little girl has fallen victim to this," the stall owner suddenly said. "Poor child, may the gods protect her."

Baron Rivière, an honorary baron residing in the capital, is in cahoots with Eight Fingers. He is likely one of Eight Fingers' direct "suppliers."

Rune's mind raced through information about the Baron.

This type of noble is among the lowest ranks of nobles in a country like the Kingdom of Riestie.

Although the nobles also feed on the blood of commoners, the fact that they personally participate in such activities is still looked down upon by other nobles.

Even so, Baron Rivion was still a member of the aristocracy, and interfering with the "hunting" activities of other nobles would cause unnecessary trouble.

This "meddling" behavior might even offend his father, who might then think Rune is useless and create a new account.

So, relying on Ainz Ooal Gown would turn his career from one of bringing his own investment to one of being a disfavored heir forced to seek help from the Great Tomb of Nazarick, causing his status to plummet.

"...The risks are too great, and the benefits are not proportional."

Rune mentally brought this matter to a close. It was the most beneficial and rational decision he could make.

But when that cry, that weak, desperate cry belonging to a child, entered his ears again, his loosened fist clenched uncontrollably.

'It cannot be repaired.'

He cursed inwardly. Not for others, but for himself.

He cursed himself, saying that even though he was a time traveler, had read the original work, and knew about the evil deeds of the nobles in this kingdom, why did a certain part of his heart still ache when he heard the crying of a little girl he didn't know?

The pain was mild and unfamiliar, yet it created a crack in all the mental preparation he had just made.

He took a deep breath and suppressed that pointless emotion.

"Let's go."

He took Si's hand and stepped forward.

This wasn't his concern, nor was it his responsibility. He could simply leave with Silk, continue browsing the market, buy honey cakes, and everything would be as if nothing had happened. He would still be the noble heir of the Aindora family, that…

But suddenly my hand felt empty.

'...That qualified transmigrator who, in order to survive, can coldly observe from the sidelines.'

Rune's thoughts came to an abrupt halt.

He turned around abruptly.

The silk thread had already rushed into that alley.

Her figure was small, her light blue skirt billowing as she ran, her golden braids swaying behind her. Sunlight streamed down from above, falling on her hair and making the golden hue almost blinding.

"So handsome..." Rune murmured subconsciously.

Chapter 9 Death and Salvation!

The alley wasn't deep, but it was very dark.

The high walls on both sides completely blocked out the sunlight, with only a sliver of skylight filtering through overhead, illuminating the accumulated sewage and moss on the ground. The air was filled with a rotten, musty smell, mixed with something even more nauseating.

Silk stood deep in the alley.

In front of her was an obese man.

Baron Rivian. His face, distorted by fat, was contorted into a disgusting expression of surprise, followed by amusement.

"Where did this little girl come from?"

His hand was still clutching a small, thin figure. It was a little girl, her clothes tattered, her ashen face streaked with tears, her eyes red as if they were about to bleed. She was curled up, trembling all over, unable to even cry out.

"Let her go."

The sound of the silk was not loud, but it echoed clearly in the narrow alley.

The baron paused for a moment, then burst out laughing.

The laughter was rough and hoarse, like a leaky bellows.

"What did you say?"