Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

The resemblance between the two is truly astonishing; not only their facial features, but even their sitting posture and the way their fingers rest on the edge of the table are exactly the same.

It's like the reflection of the same person in a mirror, only the colors are reversed.

Rune sighed inwardly, then turned his gaze to the other two.

They were short in stature, their entire bodies completely covered by long, jet-black robes.

The face was not visible, not because of insufficient light, but because a strange mask with a vermilion gemstone set on its forehead completely concealed it.

Only the eye area was cracked open by a thin slit, and even the color of the pupil beneath the slit was not discernible.

She is Iveria, the Blue Rose magic caster.

The other was an unparalleled giant, whose name evoked the image of "The Rock".

The thick arms are reminiscent of logs, and the neck that supports the head is about as thick as a woman's thighs.

The head on the neck is square, with a clenched jaw that extends horizontally to concentrate force, and eyes that survey the surroundings like those of a carnivorous beast.

His blond hair was shaved short, and he was completely focused on practicality.

Gargran, the warrior of the Blue Rose.

Sitting in this room are all members of the Blue Rose, one of only two adamantite-level adventurer teams in the kingdom.

At this moment, they were sitting around an ordinary table with several plates of half-eaten snacks on it, the atmosphere like a casual gathering on an ordinary morning.

Most of the members of the Blue Rose were familiar with Rune, except for Tia, whom Rune had never met.

After Rune finished greeting them, the tall woman immediately responded in a deep, magnetic voice.

"Oh, you're a lolicon!"

Rune was instantly speechless.

“It’s been a long time, Ms. Gagland. You still love to joke around.”

He adjusted his expression, trying to make his tone sound polite.

"Oh, long time no see. What, you've finally come to your senses this time, ready to sleep with me?"

Gegland gestured with his chin, inviting him to sit down, but a malicious, beastly grin appeared on his square face.

That kind of smile, if placed on the battlefield, could probably scare the enemy back three steps, but placed in this ordinary hotel room, it feels so out of place that it's almost speechless.

"Gegran!"

Sis glared angrily at Gagran, trying to stop him from teasing her.

Rune silently gave his sister a thumbs up in his heart. After all, he wasn't like Osko, the owner of the Imperial Arena, and didn't have such unique tastes.

Gegrand reached out and scratched his short hair, his tone unusually calm, "Team leader, don't be angry."

She paused, then gently nudged Iverie beside her with her elbow, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"Then we'll give the team leader to Iverie."

Silk didn't respond, but an invisible flame seemed to ignite around her.

As expected of a seasoned, highly skilled adventurer, Gaglan was able to keenly sense the killing intent even though he wasn't looking at Si.

She picked up the water glass on the table, tilted her head back and took a swig, as if she were using this action to shut herself up.

The room fell silent for a moment.

Rune pulled out a chair and sat down, his gaze subtly sweeping over everyone's faces.

Tina maintained her nonchalant expression, propping her chin up with one hand, her eyes holding a hint of amusement.

Tia sat next to her, her expression even more indifferent than her sister's, but her eyes quietly fell on Rune, her scrutiny undisguised.

She was probably assessing this brother of hers whom she had never met before.

Rune nodded slightly to Tia as a greeting upon their first meeting.

Iver sat in the corner, his expression hidden beneath the mask.

But the gaze hidden behind the slit remained quietly fixed on Rune's face, lacking the aggressive aura of Gegrand, yet showing no sign of avoidance.

Rune withdrew his gaze, a gentle smile on his face, and nodded to Si, indicating that she should relax.

Si pursed her lips, her expression softening slightly, but she still glanced at Rune with concern.

Rune sighed silently to himself.

'Seriously? You have so little confidence in your own brother? Do you really think I'd be attracted to Ivy's loli-like figure?'

Rune felt somewhat wronged because his younger sister misunderstood him as a lolicon.

But upon closer examination, the girl who destroyed the country is flawless in both appearance and values.

She has a cold exterior but a warm heart, which is indeed quite nice.

If it weren't for the constant shadow cast by Ainz Ooal Gown, the girl who destroyed the kingdom might seem like a serious candidate.

Just then, a very soft sound came from the corner, as if it had been accidentally leaked out.

"……abnormal."

It was Iver's voice.

It was as if it could hear Rune's inner thoughts, and thus made its criticism.

Rune was somewhat embarrassed, 'I don't remember Iveria being able to read minds...'

After a moment of silence, Qiu Si spoke.

"Brother, you came here so suddenly today... is there something you need?"

Knowing her brother as she did, Rune never did anything meaningless, so his sudden visit at this time must have a reason.

“Hmm.” Rune nodded. “The deployment against [Eight Fingers] needs to be changed.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the room subtly changed.

Tina, who had been lazily leaning back in her chair, straightened up, and Tia's gaze instantly became focused.

Gegrand, who had been crossing his arms, quietly loosened them, and the roguish expression on his square face largely disappeared.

Even Iverie turned her gaze away.

The entire Blue Rose team simultaneously entered their optimal state.

The snacks on the table were quickly moved aside, and Si took out a map, unfolded it, and spread it on the table.

The map marks the various strongholds of the "Eight Fingers".

Chapter 20 Silk's Worries (Bonus Chapter for Monthly Tickets)

"Regarding the security outposts of [Six Arms]," Rune's gaze fell on the map, and his finger lightly tapped the mark there, "we can reduce our forces now."

Si was slightly taken aback.

[Six Arms], as the representative of the high-end combat power of [Eight Fingers], the title of the strongest assassins in the underworld is enough to make most adventurers hesitate.

In its initial deployment, the Blue Rose allocated the heaviest force to this stronghold and prepared for a tough battle.

"Why?" Gegrand spoke first, his voice a shade lower than usual.

She loosened her muscular arms from their chest-crossing position, and her square face narrowed slightly in the eyes of a predatory beast. "What happened on the side of [Six Arms]?"

Rune raised his head and looked around at everyone at the table.

"I did something last night."

His tone was indifferent, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"The Six Arms have now been completely wiped out."

After speaking, Rune surprised everyone in the Blue Rose.

Tina and Tia exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's wine-red eyes.

A hint of surprise appeared on Gegrand's rugged face, and even Iveriai, who had been silent all along, paused for a moment behind the slit of his mask.

However, compared to surprise, anger was more prominent in Si's expression.

"what?"

She jumped up from her chair, placing her hands on the table, the hem of her pale red dress swaying gently with her movement.

Those light green eyes were now burning with an anger that only arises from extreme worry.

"Brother, did you go and take down the Six-Armed One last night?"

Si slammed her hands on the table again, as if to express her dissatisfaction.

"How could you do this? It's too dangerous!"

Before Rune could explain, a soft light shone on him.

Third-tier Faith-based magic: [Heal from Severe Injuries].

The warm magic swept over Rune's body from head to toe, trying to find any wounds that could be healed.

Rune was stunned.

He looked at the silk in front of him, her fingers still trembling slightly as she maintained the spellcasting posture.

Even though he was already the captain of a Steel-level adventurer team, he could calmly handle all kinds of unexpected events.

But at this moment, the flustered silk seems to have returned to its childhood form.

Rune was a little touched.

"Calm down, Sis, I'm not hurt at all." Rune's voice was very soft, like he was soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.

“Boss Devil, your brother doesn’t have any signs of injury,” Tina confirmed from the side.

Her gaze swept carefully over Rune's body, and with the eyesight of a ninja thief, she confirmed that there were no wounds on the skin exposed outside his armor.

"Captain, there's not a single tear in his clothes, so don't worry," Iver's calm voice came from behind the mask.

The gaze through the narrow slit lingered on Rune for a moment, confirming the same judgment.

Only then did Si feel relieved.