Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

“Mr. Rune.” He bowed slightly.

“Mr. Sebastian.” Rune returned the greeting, entered the drawing room, and closed the door behind him. The sound of the door hinges turning was very soft, like a suppressed sigh.

'It must be Ainz who made the decision.'

Rune was a little nervous.

He walked to the chair opposite Sebastian, but instead of sitting down immediately, he raised his hand to indicate that he wanted to sit down.

"Mr. Sebastian, please have a seat."

The two sat down almost simultaneously.

Sebastian did not let the silence last long.

“Mr. Rune.” Sebastian’s tone was not loud, but one could sense that he was in a good mood. “My lady has agreed to the trip to the Dragon Kingdom.”

agreed.

Rune felt his heart finally settle down.

He didn't try to suppress his facial expressions. His eyebrows first raised slightly, then the light in his eyes gradually brightened, and finally the corners of his mouth curved into a bright arc.

The entire change took less than a second, yet it felt perfectly natural.

"Great."

Rune's voice was cheerful and genuine. He leaned forward, resting his hands on his knees, like a young man who couldn't sit still after hearing good news.

“That’s wonderful. With Mr. Sebastian here this year, we will surely be able to save even more citizens of the Dragon Kingdom.”

Sunlight fell on his profile, illuminating his light green eyes, which were filled with expectation, yet also with a sense of relief at finally receiving help.

'Just kidding.'

Rune thought to himself.

'With Sebastian around, he could wipe out the entire orc kingdom.'

Sebastian looked at him, his light gray eyes filled with satisfaction in the light, as if he were looking at something beautiful and worthy of affirmation.

“However,” Sebastian’s voice rang out again, his tone now more serious, “I will have to entrust Mr. Rune with some matters concerning my young lady in the capital.”

Rune nodded almost without hesitation.

“No problem,” he said, his tone as certain as if stating something already arranged. “I’ll have Hill handle the relevant matters. Mr. Sebastian need not worry.”

Sebastian nodded slightly, as if accepting the promise.

"So, when does Mr. Rune plan to depart?"

Rune did not answer immediately.

He withdrew his hands from his knees and leaned back in his chair.

When my back pressed against the chair, I felt as if I had stepped out of the youthful exuberance and into a state of deep contemplation.

“Mr. Sebastian,” Rune’s voice was lower than before, and his speech slowed down, “before we set off, I need to deal with some scoundrels in the capital.”

"I wonder what kind of scoundrel Mr. Rune intends to deal with?" Sebastian replied to Rune's question naturally.

Rune's fingers rested on the armrest, and he tapped them lightly twice, making a soft sound.

"【Eight fingers】."

When the word came out of Rune's mouth, he stopped his micro-gestures, and the atmosphere became heavy.

“Mr. Sebastian may not be aware of this.” Rune raised his eyelids, meeting Sebastian’s gaze.

"【Eight Fingers】is the largest underground criminal organization in the kingdom. It is divided into eight departments: slave trade, assassination, smuggling, theft, drugs, bodyguarding, finance, and gambling."

As Rune spoke, the fingers of his right hand curled up in turn, listing the charges one by one, following the name of each department.

"Among them, the slave trade was the worst."

Sunlight streamed in from Rune's side, casting a small shadow beneath his brow bone and making his light green eyes appear deeper than usual.

"Those they abduct, regardless of age or gender, are all sold as commodities. Some are sold abroad, while others remain in illegal brothels in the capital. And those who cannot be 'used'..."

He paused for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly.

"They will be used as objects of entertainment and tortured to death."

The reception room was silent for a few seconds.

The sunlight shifted a little distance, and the edge of the strip of light on the floor quietly crept up to the tip of Sebastian's boot.

Sebastian's expression remained unchanged.

But the old butler's hands, resting on his lap, had his fingers slightly clenched.

“So,” Rune spoke again, “before we set off, I want to clean up these scoundrels.”

He paused, his gaze fixed on Sebastian.

"This is also for Miss Suo Liuxiang."

Sebastian's eyebrows twitched slightly.

"After Mr. Sebastian and I left the capital, Miss Soliuxiang was left all alone here."

Rune's tone was filled with sincere concern, "Although Miss Soliuxiang lives in my residence, the influence of [Eight Fingers] extends throughout the capital. What if Miss Soliuxiang goes out..."

Rune frowned slightly, as if contemplating a possibility he didn't want to see.

"If this organization is not completely eradicated, Miss Suo Liuxiang may face danger."

When Rune said this, there was a natural sense of responsibility in his tone.

His light green eyes looked intently at Sebastian, like a host concerned for the safety of his guest.

That should be enough.

Rune thought to himself.

'This implies that he is also concerned for Sol's safety, thus giving Sebastian a legitimate excuse, and Sebastian will most likely follow his heart and act accordingly.'

'After all, as the steward of Nazarick, I couldn't just stand by and watch someone be put in danger while protecting the maids of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.'

'Moral blackmail successful.'

Rune awaited Sebastian's response.

Sebastian did not respond immediately.

But Rune could see Sebastian's eyes, those light gray eyes staring at him, something within them slowly changing.

It looked like he was deep in thought.

It was as if they were looking at each other again.

The silence lasted for about five seconds.

Sebastian spoke.

“Mr. Rune,” his voice was slower than usual, carrying a deliberate seriousness, “if you are interested in my young lady…”

Rune blinked.

"I will try my best to persuade my husband."

Rune's eyelashes fluttered a few more times.

"what?"

Rune's mouth opened slightly, uttering a short, confused syllable.

Chapter 3 A Mind-Blowing Idea

Rune's mouth was slightly open, and his brows were furrowed.

A crack appeared in his composed expression, revealing the genuine bewilderment beneath.

“However,” Sebastian added, his tone remaining serious even on this topic.

"It depends on what my young lady thinks."

Rune looked at him.

There was no trace of a joke on Sebastian's face.

The old butler's expression was serious, even carrying a hint of the solemnity that comes with elders discussing the marriage of their juniors.

There was even a hint of "I understand" in those light gray eyes.

'no.'

After a brief pause, Rune's thoughts began to race.

'I was talking about protecting Suo Liuxiang's safety. Why has it turned into me being interested in her?'

He quickly reviewed what he had just said.

The removal of the "Eight Fingers" was for Suo Liuxiang's safety, because he and Sebastian were leaving the capital, leaving Suo Liuxiang alone here.

These were indeed his own words.

but.

Would a normal person deduce from this logic that "Rune likes Suoliuxiang"?

Rune looked at Sebastian's completely oblivious face.

Sebastian might actually do it.

As the king of picking up girls in Nazarick, Sebastian has a very high sensitivity to women.

In the original work, Sebastian easily won over Kiarei, whom he had only known for a short time, to the point that she disregarded life and death.

From the perspective of the creator of the Guardian, this guy with thick eyebrows and big eyes, Touchimi, probably isn't a very decent person either.

So Sebastian, who's a bit love-struck, thinks he's nice to them because he's interested in Solus.

Rune's lips twitched slightly.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say something to correct this outrageous misunderstanding. But the words caught in his throat.