Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Rune looked away, deciding not to argue with his sister.

“It’s a simple code where one character corresponds to one symbol, so it’s easy to decipher.” Lana’s voice suddenly rang out as her pen moved smoothly across the paper.

"And luckily, it's written in the Kingdom's language. If it were a book in the Imperial language or something, it would be almost impossible to solve. This... you just need to know one word, and then fill in the rest one by one. Anyone can solve it if they put in the effort."

She spoke as if it were something anyone could do.

A complex expression appeared on Si's face. It was admiration, helplessness, and a hint of unease.

"No, no... It sounds simple. But you'd need tens of thousands of words to decipher it, right?"

"This is a written instruction in code. It's not usually written in fancy words or difficult vocabulary. It's likely written in simple words that even a child could understand. So there aren't many options."

Lana answered without looking up. Her pen moved quickly across the paper, making a soft scratching sound.

Chapter 76 Spreading the Silk

Lana put down her pen and gently pushed the sheet of paper covered in writing to the center of the round table.

"It's solved."

Her small movement drew the attention of all three people present to the piece of paper.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled patterns on the paper, making the neat handwriting appear exceptionally clear.

Si reached out and picked up the paper, her eyes scanning the place names listed on it.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips pressed into a thin line. This was the expression she wore when she was thinking.

Rune was all too familiar with this expression; when he was a child, Si would always make this face whenever he couldn't do his homework.

“These are…” Si raised her head and looked at Lana.

"Seven locations within the capital, plus several others within the kingdom."

Lana's voice was soft, with a calm gentleness, "I suspect that these places are likely strongholds or intelligence stations of other departments of Eight Fingers."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the paper.

"The fact that this coded document was placed in the drug department's village is telling. Although Eight Fingers is the same organization, the relationships between the eight departments are not harmonious. Leaving the intelligence of other departments there deliberately is probably to distract the enemy in the event of an external conflict."

Tina tilted her head, a hint of realization flashing in her wine-red eyes.

"...I see. So it was bait."

"It's less of a bait and more of a scapegoat."

Lana's voice was gentle, but her words were frighteningly calm: "Using other departments' bases in exchange for the drug department's security. This kind of scheming is probably the norm within Eight Fingers."

Si put the paper back on the table and lightly tapped one of the place names with her fingertip.

“This brothel…” Her voice lowered, her tone filled with suppressed anger.

“Tina and the others have investigated. It’s currently the only illegal brothel still operating in the capital. The person behind it is very likely Kekedaoer, the head of the slave trade department.”

Si's fingers applied slight pressure, and her nails pressed a shallow mark on the paper.

"You can experience every imaginable service there."

As she said this, Si's lips curled down, and a hint of undisguised disgust flashed in her light green eyes.

There's no need to even think about what it means.

It is certain that several people, regardless of gender, were killed for entertainment.

Rune looked at her profile. The light shone on her golden hair, illuminating that small patch.

His sister is now nineteen years old and is no longer the little girl who would obediently leave when he lied to her and said, "Brother is going to purify the souls of demons."

She is now the captain of a steel-class adventurer party, with her own beliefs and things she must do.

And Si will definitely do this.

Rune knows her too well.

The little girl who, back then, would rush into an alley empty-handed to recite lines from a chivalric romance novel to the Baron in order to save a commoner girl she didn't know.

Now that she's facing a criminal organization like the Eight Fingers, she can't just stand by and do nothing.

Let the blue rose tackle the [eight fingers].

Although the possibility is very low, he is still afraid that something might happen to Si during the process.

After all, it's different from the original story now.

Rune's gaze shifted from the silk face to the paper on the table covered with place names.

The sunlight cast a slight yellow hue on the paper, making the writing appear as if it were engraved on it, each stroke clear and distinct.

He originally had another plan.

Let the adventurer "Flying" deal with the Eight Fingers. This way, he can both get in touch with Ainz Ooal Gown and eliminate the trashy Eight Fingers organization—killing two birds with one stone.

But now, Old Bone has chosen to shrink his influence, and he's no longer active even as an adventurer. The connection with Fei Fei is temporarily off.

Then there's no need to drag it out any longer.

It's a bit of a pity that the eight-fingered trash couldn't be reused and made to realize its final value.

On the bright side, if these trash actually do fall for Ainz, it would only cause more trouble.

In the original story, these scumbags actually fared better than the average person in most kingdoms just because they sided with Nazarick.

Someone who shouldn't have died died.

The damned people are living perfectly well.

Rune didn't want to see something like this happen in the original story and then have it happen in real life.

Since that's the case, let's eliminate them all.

Rune raised his eyelids and looked calmly at Lana.

"I'll also help with the matter of [Eight Fingers]."

Lana's gaze lingered on Rune's face for a moment.

Something flickered slightly in those deep blue eyes, as if they were confirming something.

Then Lana revealed an innocent smile, like the first flower to bloom in spring.

“It’s wonderful that Rune can help.” Her voice was soft, filled with obvious joy. “But… won’t this have repercussions for the Aindora family?”

When Lana said this, her eyes were filled with genuine concern, as if she was truly only thinking of Rune and the Eindora family.

Si also turned her head to look at her brother.

Rune waved his hand.

"It's alright."

His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something trivial. He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile curving his lips, revealing a hint of self-deprecation.

"Anyway, I've done plenty of unconventional things, so one more won't make a difference."

Si's lips twitched slightly.

She recalled her brother's "glorious deeds" over the years, especially his long journey to the Dragon Kingdom to aid that little queen.

Lana chuckled softly.

"That's good," she said, then turned to Si, "Si, could you please inform everyone at Blue Rose to prepare?"

Upon hearing this, Si stood up, but did not immediately head towards the door.

She stood there and said goodbye to Lana. "Lana, my brother and I will go back and prepare. Tina, let's go."

"...Understood, Boss Devil."

Tina sprang up from her chair with a light step. She followed Silk toward the door.

Silk took two steps and realized that a familiar footstep was missing behind her. She stopped and turned around.

Rune was still sitting in the chair.

"Brother?" Si frowned slightly. "He's gone."

"You should go back first," Rune said calmly. "I have some things to attend to."

Si's gaze changed instantly, her sharp and shrewd expression completely different from when she was deciphering the mystery.

Rune looked calmly at Silk, their gazes meeting in the air. The unspoken understanding between the siblings finally put Silk at ease.

“…Okay.” She nodded and walked out with Tina.

Chapter 77 Twisted Relationship

The door closed gently.

The footsteps of Si and Tina gradually faded into the distance, eventually disappearing into the depths of the corridor. The room fell silent, save for the occasional birdsong from outside the window and the tranquil aroma of tea slowly settling in the sunlight.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, falling on Lana's long, golden hair and making her smooth strands shine.

She tilted her head slightly, a few strands of hair clinging to her cheeks, shimmering with a faint golden light.

Rune sat in his chair, watching Lana quietly.

Lana was looking at him too.

Then that exquisite, angelic face began to distort little by little.

Her lips trembled slightly at first, then tilted to one side, curving into an inappropriate arc. In her deep blue eyes, the gentle light seemed to be torn apart from within, revealing something deeper and darker beneath.

It is a pure, unadulterated pleasure.

"Is this really a good image, Your Highness?"

Rune's voice rang out in the quiet room, tinged with a hint of helplessness.

Lana chuckled softly. The laughter was still clear and crisp, but the tone was a little higher than usual, and the last note lingered, like a plucked string that trembled and refused to stop.

"What does it matter, Rune-chan?"

She pronounced the syllables "Rune sauce" with exceptional clarity, as if deliberately savoring every subtle reaction those three words evoked on his face.