Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

'Since that's the case, let's pretend we didn't notice. Besides, I didn't want to sit next to Lana anyway.'

Rune bowed slightly and sat down on the chair next to Silk.

The moment he sat down, he wondered if it was just his imagination.

Rune felt that Silk was in a better mood, and her smile had become warmer.

She probably confirmed that her brother hadn't betrayed her with her best friend.

Seriously, even in another world, do girls here still worry about their best friend becoming their sister-in-law?

Rune almost laughed.

Just then, Rune felt another gaze fall upon him.

It was neither Lana nor Si.

It's the person hiding in the shadows.

He turned his head, his gaze calmly fixed on the corner of the room. There, a woman dressed in close-fitting black clothes was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees.

She was tall and slender, her black clothes clinging tightly to her body, outlining her smooth lines. Her hair color was indistinguishable in the darkness, but her eyes were staring straight at her.

'really.'

Tina. A member of the Blue Rose, a ninja thief, who usually acts with her twin sister Tia. Rune quickly reviewed her information in his mind.

"what!"

Rune deliberately let out a soft gasp, leaned back slightly, and showed surprise on his face.

He looked at Tina, then at Si, his expression asking, "What's going on?"

Si sighed.

"It's all because of your pose that you scared your elder brother."

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness, but there was no real blame.

"Understood, Boss Gui."

Tina sprang to her feet from the corner, moving as nimbly as a cat. She approached the table without a sound, her eyes fixed on Rune.

Rune felt a little uneasy under her gaze.

The gaze was so direct, it was a scrutinizing look filled with intense interest, as if he were looking at some interesting collectible.

The seat next to Si had already been taken by Rune.

Tina could only choose the chair next to Lana, but her gaze kept lingering on Rune.

Chapter 75 Password

"You must be Tina. I've often heard Si mention you," Rune greeted her with a bright smile.

Tina's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

But the shock it brought to Rune was considerable.

"The devil boss's brother... what a pity."

Rune blinked.

"what?"

"It's too late to see you."

Tina's tone was stiff, but there was a clear glint in her eyes. She leaned forward slightly, as if examining a rare treasure that had been missed.

"It would have been so cute a few years ago. But now... it's a shame."

Rune's thoughts paused for a brief moment.

He remembered, this guy seems to be a shota fetishist.

'...What kind of people live in the Blue Rose?'

Rune silently complained to himself.

A chuunibyou (delusional) captain, a muscular female warrior, a vampire loli who destroys a nation, a shota-con ninja, and a ninja professor. The fact that this team can function properly is, in a way, a miracle.

But before he could figure out how to respond, two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

"Tina."

The sound of silk was a notch lower than usual.

She turned her head slightly to look at Tina beside her, a smile on her face, but there was clearly no smile in her light green eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

Tina turned her head and met Si's gaze.

There was no change in expression on her flat face, but Rune noticed that she leaned back slightly, probably an instinctive retreat in the face of a threat.

'Just how afraid of silk is she?' Rune was somewhat surprised that his silly little sister had such a strong presence.

"...Nothing, Boss Gui. Just taking a look around."

"Yeah."

Si still smiled, but her eyes never left Tina.

Tina looked away.

Then he picked up the teacup in front of him, lowered his head to drink the tea, and stopped looking at Rune.

Rune felt inexplicably moved as he watched this scene.

Although Si always complains about him now that he's grown up, she still thinks of him when it really matters.

"what happened?"

Lana's voice came from the right.

Rune looked at her and found that she was tilting her head, her deep blue eyes filled with curiosity.

Her gaze swept back and forth between Silk and Tina before finally settling on Silk.

"Si, what did Miss Tina mean by that just now? What did she mean by 'It's a pity we met so late'?"

Her tone was simple, like a curious child asking a very ordinary question.

But Rune could see it clearly: the corners of her mouth were slightly curved, and there was a hint of cunning in the curve.

'This woman clearly understood.'

Si's smile froze for a moment.

“It’s nothing, Lana.” Her voice returned to normal, but a very faint blush rose at the base of her ears. “Tina was just talking nonsense. Right, Tina?”

She looked at Tina again, her gaze carrying an even stronger warning than before.

Tina held her teacup without looking up.

"...Yes. Nonsense."

Her tone was flat, as if she were being threatened into memorizing lines.

Lana chuckled softly. Her laughter was clear and melodious, like a wind chime tinkling in a gentle breeze.

She didn't press further, but simply picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

Si put down her teacup, making a soft "click" sound. The sound wasn't loud, but it drew everyone's attention back at just the right moment.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Her tone returned to that of an adventurer leader, and her gaze turned to Lana.

"Regarding the Eight Fingers, we stormed into three villages where drugs were being cultivated and burned the farmland to the ground."

She paused suddenly, looked at Rune, and changed the subject.

"Brother should have read the letter I wrote to you, right? It contains all the details."

Faced with that slightly scrutinizing gaze, Rune quickly nodded, indicating that he had seen it.

“Then I won’t repeat myself.” Si took a piece of parchment from the bag Tina had brought and spread it out on the table.

“We found this parchment when we burned the drugs in the village. It was covered in symbols we couldn't understand; I guess it was some kind of written instruction. Lana, can you figure it out?”

Rune's gaze fell on the parchment.

The densely packed symbols on the yellowed paper are not from any particular country. The arrangement seems chaotic, but they repeat frequently, revealing a subtle pattern.

Substitution cipher.

Rune made a judgment in his mind. Before transmigrating, he had encountered similar puzzles in YGGDRASIL, and after transmigrating, he had also specifically studied the cryptography of this world in order to deal with possible intelligence warfare.

Although there are many symbols on this parchment, the encryption method is not complicated.

But Rune didn't say anything; Lana could easily crack these codes.

Moreover, Rune really didn't want to increase Lana's interest in him.

"It's a substitution cipher."

Lana glanced at it and casually stated her conclusion.

Then she stood up, went to get paper and pen, and started writing and drawing on them.

Sunlight fell on Lana's long golden hair, making that golden hue shine. Her delicate profile was almost transparent in the light, like a meticulously sculpted work of art.

Rune's gaze lingered on that profile for a moment.

'If you only look at their appearance, they are indeed quite good-looking. It's a pity their soul is so twisted.'

As he was thinking, a sharp pain suddenly struck his foot.

It was harder than the previous punch.

Rune gasped and turned to look at Si beside him.

Si was sitting elegantly, sipping her black tea. Noticing his gaze, she turned her head slightly and gave him an innocent look.

'...Okay then.'