Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

"Cough cough."

He straightened up, his guilty conscience replaced by a forced composure.

“In that case,” Rune said, his voice slower than usual, “I’ll speak then.”

All eyes of the members of the Blue Rose were focused on him at the same time.

Si released his arm, sat down on the chair next to him, propped her cheeks up with her hands, and looked at him with undisguised anticipation in her eyes.

Tina and Tia also sat up straight, the ninja sisters' movements still synchronized.

Looking at the expectant gazes around him, Rune felt as if he had been placed on an invisible stage.

'Fine, since I've already decided to blow it, I might as well blow it beautifully.'

He picked up the teacup on the table, took a sip of the now-cold black tea, and gave himself a few more seconds to think.

"I lured all the members of the Six Arms to the brothel through my scheme."

From how to use the intelligence network to spread false information and lure all the members of the "Six Arms" to a brothel, to how to use the terrain and the cover of night to eliminate the group of "Six Arms" assassins one by one.

Rune explained it in great detail, and even a professional like Tina nodded in agreement.

"...So, I wiped out the entire Six Arms group just like that."

Rune put down his teacup and calmly concluded this extremely brilliant "post-battle report".

But if you look closely, you'll notice a very faint red tinge around the base of his ears.

Silk's eyes shone even brighter.

She listened attentively from beginning to end. Her brother's heroic image resonated with the impression in her mind, and she felt as if she had been illuminated by some light.

"Brother is amazing!"

Si's tone was filled with undisguised smugness.

She turned to look at the other team members.

Tina enthusiastically led the applause, and even nudged Tia next to her with her elbow.

Tia clapped along, a mischievous smile on her face as well.

"Mmm, Brother Devil is the best."

Chapter 22 Refusal

Gagland leaned back in his chair, his thick arms crossed over his chest, his eyes full of mockery.

Iver sighed softly: "That's good. We don't need to consider the [Six Arms] factor anymore when attacking other strongholds."

The gaze from beneath the mask's slits fell upon Rune.

"...Thank you."

The other Blue Rose members familiar with Iveria could hear the approval in his voice.

Rune quickly waved his hand, his face becoming even more humble.

"Oh, not at all, I was just lucky."

"In short, there is not much risk in attacking the other strongholds of [Eight Fingers], but we still need to be careful."

Rune steered the conversation back on track, turning his gaze to the silk.

"Now I can set off for the Dragon Kingdom with peace of mind."

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

Si's excited expression, which was still immersed in her brother's wonderful story, was blown away as if by a gust of wind.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes were full of worry.

"Is my brother going there again?"

Si's fingers unconsciously twisted the edge of the pale red dress sleeve.

"Why don't we wait until Azure Rose has dealt with [Eight Fingers], and then go with my brother?"

The room fell silent for a moment after those words were spoken.

Gegrand's gruff laughter broke the silence.

“The team leader is right.” She slammed a large hand on the table, making the water in her teacup slosh around.

"I've wanted to visit the Dragon Kingdom for a long time. I've heard that the orcs there are all incredibly strong."

An eager expression appeared on her square face.

"I'll go as well."

Iverie nodded in agreement; she too wanted to save this nation on the verge of destruction.

Rune looked at the Blue Rose members sitting around the table and felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

But at the same time, Rune also felt a headache.

In previous years, it was fine; although implementing certain things was a bit inconvenient, it was manageable with a little attention.

Absolutely not this year, after all, it concerns...

"Let's forget about it. Wild roses are too expensive; I'd go bankrupt if I invited them."

Rune refused in a joking tone.

Si immediately sat up straight, placed her hands on the table, interlaced her fingers, and adopted a proper posture.

"I have some money saved up."

Silk looked directly into Rune's eyes with a determined gaze.

"I'll cover the expenses for this operation. Brother, you don't need to worry about the costs."

Gegran grinned.

"What are you saying, team leader? I don't need to take money for this kind of rescue."

An honest expression, somewhat incongruous with her rugged appearance, appeared on her square face.

"I have the same awareness as the lolicon older brother, so don't underestimate me."

As she spoke, she gestured with her chin toward Rune, a gesture of respect between warriors.

Over the years, Rune has aided the Dragon Kingdom, and the only fees he has received from the Dragon Kingdom are for the losses incurred during the march and the pensions for the soldiers.

The Dragon Kingdom was already in dire financial straits; if he charged the normal price for hiring troops, it would only worsen the already precarious situation of the nation.

That's why Gegrand said he "possessed enlightenment".

“Me too.” Iver’s voice rang out again. “Although adventurers cannot participate in wars between nations, the Dragon Kingdom is facing an active invasion by demi-humans. This is not within the scope of the restrictions.”

She spoke a little faster than usual.

"The Adventurers' Guild was founded with the intention of helping humanity."

Looking at these people who were willing to help him without reservation, Rune felt a mix of gratitude and headache, churning into a complex emotion.

'This is bad.'

He groaned silently to himself.

The script shouldn't be like this.

He had intended to downplay the topic and set off alone, but now the entire Blue Rose was going to go to the Dragon Kingdom with him.

This won't do.

"Let's forget about it, it would be too unfair to you."

"Brother, why are you refusing us?"

The sound of silk suddenly rose a few decibels.

"Could it be that my elder brother is planning something shady in the Dragon Kingdom?"

Rune's pupils contracted slightly.

'How could you guess that?' His heart skipped a beat.

Rune decided to reassess Silk's intelligence. Perhaps his sister wasn't so stupid after all?

"Or perhaps, my elder brother has truly fallen for the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom..."

The sound of silk seamlessly transitioned from questioning to feeling aggrieved.

"We'll be in the way, won't we?"

As she said this, she lowered her chin, as if trying to swallow back the words she shouldn't have said, but she still couldn't help it.

Rune's lips twitched slightly as he looked at his younger sister's expression.

The second instance upheld the original verdict.

She's still that silly little sister.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging helplessness, and looked calmly at Si.

No, that's not true.

Rune didn't rush to explain, but first denied Silk's guess.

"It's because of the [eight fingers]."

When dealing with kind people, you really have to rely on seemingly legitimate reasons.

Rune silently repeated this sentence to himself.

Silk looked into Rune's eyes, trying to find any trace of a lie.

"【Eight Fingers】is about to become a thing of the past, but such a criminal organization that has been entrenched in the capital for many years cannot be completely eradicated. There will definitely be remnants waiting for an opportunity to retaliate."

“If the Blue Rose stays away, the remnants of the Eight Fingers will surely seek revenge, and Father and Mother are in the capital…”

Rune plans to use his parents' safety to kidnap Silk.

Si's lips trembled slightly, and her hands on the table unconsciously tightened their grip.