Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

Chapter 120 Black Scale Dragon King

"Your Excellency Aindora, please." The prime minister stepped aside and gestured invitingly. "His Majesty has been waiting in the hall for some time."

Thank you for your trouble.

Rune strode toward the royal city, Sebastian following half a step behind him, while several guards, guided by the gatekeepers, went to wait in the side hall.

The prime minister walked beside Lu En.

"Your Excellency Aindora should already be aware of the situation this year," the prime minister said in a low voice. "The orcs' offensive is more ferocious than in previous years. Three towns have already fallen on the front lines, and the garrison has suffered heavy casualties."

Rune nodded: "Captain Marco already told me about it when we were in Tarbach."

"So—" The prime minister paused, his gaze sweeping over Rune's face, "this year, I'm afraid we'll have to ask Your Excellency for even more help. Our country will do its utmost to ensure the supply of the necessary materials."

Rune could rarely sense Chancellor Bergman's sincerity; the Chancellor's love for the country was probably no less than that for the Lolita Queen.

Looking at the prime minister's face, which was smiling slightly ingratiatingly for the sake of the people, he suddenly felt that this person wasn't so bad after all.

"I will do my best," Rune said.

The prime minister's smile deepened, and the two walked along the stone path past the neatly trimmed bushes toward the palace.

Sebastian followed behind, watching Rune's retreating figure with an innocent smile.

Lord Rune is still so popular.

The group entered the palace.

Inside the palace, one wall is inlaid with a large relief sculpture, the dragons are carved so lifelike that they cast shadows of varying depths in the light pouring down from the high windows.

Rune noticed something.

It's too quiet.

He had walked this corridor leading to the reception room more than once.

At this time of year, attendants would stand respectfully on both sides, their hands at their sides, dressed in uniform.

Occasionally, one could hear the hurried footsteps of the clerk passing by.

But today, the entire corridor is deserted.

Rune frowned slightly.

He turned his head to look at Chancellor Bergman beside him.

The prime minister was walking half a step ahead of him, with his hands behind his back.

A polite smile graced his wrinkled face, his gaze fixed straight ahead, revealing nothing unusual.

But Rune still sensed that something was wrong.

He looked away and sighed silently to himself.

—It's always like this.

The more serious this prime minister appears, the worse things tend to go later.

But he did not stop.

At the end of the corridor, the door to the reception room was half-open.

Rune quickened his pace and pushed open the door.

Light streamed in.

Before Rune could adjust to the change in light from dim to bright, a small hand grasped his.

The hand was small, with fingers as thin as twigs, and the fingertips were slightly cool. It was gripping the little finger of Rune's right hand.

Rune's body froze instantly.

The hand shook, a playful sway, like a child tugging at an adult's clothes, trying to get their attention.

"Lu Enqing"

The sound came from below.

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a slightly drawn-out ending and a trembling tone of grievance, as if she had been bullied by something for a long time and had finally found someone to confide in.

"You've finally arrived—"

Rune lowered his head.

What comes into view is a little girl wearing a light pink dress.

The skirt was very short, almost exposing her entire legs.

Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a piece of silk ruffled by the wind, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, making her face appear even smaller.

Her face was exquisite, her features as if they were a work of art sculpted stroke by stroke by the most skilled craftsman.

Her large eyes were filled with a thin layer of mist, and her eyelashes trembled gently, as if tears would roll down from them at any moment.

Her nose was slightly red, and her lips were pouting in a small arc. She exuded an aura of "I am pitiful," "I need to be protected," and "Please don't reject me."

Rune's mouth opened.

His jaw was almost dislocated, his eyes were wide open, his pupils were slightly constricted, and his face was filled with shock.

What's wrong with the Queen?

Rune's brain began to function slowly.

Although in previous years Delonte would also pretend to be a pitiful little girl.

His gaze fell on the small hand that was clenching his own.

But why did she suddenly grab my hand and act so affectionately when she came with Sebastian? What's going on? Will Sebastian misunderstand something?

Rune's brain seemed to freeze.

The timeline goes back to before Rune arrived in the capital.

The capital city of the Dragon King.

Deloris Oriclus sat on that wide throne.

Her feet dangled in mid-air, her toes still a short distance from the ground, her pink skirt spread out on the dark stone slabs like a flower blooming in the shadows.

Her hands rested on the armrests; her fingers were fair, and her nails were neatly trimmed.

Chancellor Bergman stands below the throne.

His face was calm, his back was straight, and there wasn't a single wrinkle on his dark suit.

"ha?"

Deloris's voice came from the throne, filled with obvious displeasure and disbelief.

Her brows furrowed, and her black hair slipped from her shoulders, swaying gently as she turned her head.

Those big eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a line, and her whole demeanor changed from dignified to ready to refute at any moment.

"Do you want me to act even cuter this year?"

Her voice rose a few decibels.

"Ideally, there should be at least a minimum amount of physical contact?"

"Yes, Your Majesty." The prime minister's rationality bordered on coldness. "This is the best way to stimulate Lady Aindora's protective instincts."

Derodile's lips twitched.

"Is the whole world a lolicon?" Her voice carried a hint of offended displeasure. "Being a little older is definitely more comfortable in every way."

She lowered her head, glanced at her flat chest, then raised her head, her expression even more dissatisfied.

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty," the Prime Minister said without even lifting his eyelids, "Only the form of a young girl can arouse the protective instincts of the entire nation. If you wish to maintain the other form, you must first resolve the current situation of this country."

7

Derodile's face flushed slightly.

"Don't mention my appearance!" Her voice grew louder, sharp and almost bristling. "That's what I really look like."

""

"That's true." The prime minister showed no emotion. "If things continue like this, you can adopt whichever form you want, since no one will be watching anyway."

Derodile's lips pressed into a thin line.

She stared at the prime minister's calm face, trying to find any opening for rebuttal.

The prime minister gave her no time to catch her breath.

"This invasion by the orcs is different from their previous ones." His voice was heavy, his sharp eyes fixed on the queen on the throne. "Such a massive force, they must be planning to conquer our country and build a pigsty."

Derodile's fingers gripped the armrest of the throne tightly.

"Currently, the steel-class adventurer team is putting up a difficult fight, but the gap is too large. Perhaps the only solution is to gather the people in the capital and wait for the enemy to run out of food. However, our country's food situation is also not optimistic, and our food problem may worsen first."

His gaze fell on Derodile's face, his eyes reflecting only a rational, almost cold, reality.

"This is really a headache." Derodile's voice lowered, full of exhaustion and helplessness.

"Or send out elite troops to capture the king first," the prime minister said.

"Should we find that lord of Aindora to be our leader?" Droron raised her eyes.

"If they refuse, the leader of Crystal Tears, Serabré, is also an option." The Prime Minister paused, "But judging from their record, Lord Aindora is undoubtedly the stronger one."

Derodile paused for a moment, then spoke with obvious shame and indignation: "These two guys are definitely lolicon."

, 7

She paused, as if confirming her judgment.

"Especially Serabrough, when he was talking to me, his eyes kept lingering on me. What's so great about this washboard? If he likes it so much, why doesn't he look at the walls?"

"Compared to other options, I'd still choose Aindora."

The prime minister's lips twitched slightly.

"Your Majesty, that's just a personal quirk—" He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Even the prime minister seemed unable to convince himself, and eventually admitted it.

"Ah, Your Majesty is right, he is indeed a lolicon."

He eventually admitted it.

Derodile's brow furrowed even more.

"Since you're so sure, I feel even worse."

"However, Your Majesty, judging from the fact that Lady Aindora came all the way from the Kingdom to support the Dragon Kingdom for your sake," the Prime Minister's tone held a subtle undertone, "her lolicon tendencies are probably even more severe than Serabra's."

Derodile's face turned even redder.

"Seriously, it would be great if these strong people weren't lolicon."

"Your Majesty, please bear with it a little longer," the prime minister said with a straight face, uttering a somewhat ominous line. "It's just this level of coquetry; after all, Your Majesty wouldn't want more of your people to be eaten by orcs, would you?"

This is blatant moral blackmail.

Derodile lowered her head, her long black hair obscuring her face.

A long time passed.

"I understand." Derodile chose to give in.

Let's return to the present.

Chancellor Bergman stood at the entrance to the reception room, his hands behind his back.

He watched as Rune seemed slightly distracted by Derodile's coquettish behavior.

The young man froze for a moment after the Queen grasped his hand, and only after he realized what was happening did he quickly adjust his expression and bow slightly in greeting.

I was right.

The prime minister thought to himself silently.

Lady Aindora is just very good at disguising herself; at heart, she's still a lolicon.

No, think positively.

Perhaps Lady Aindora simply likes Her Majesty the Queen.

And Her Majesty's form just happens to be that of a loli.

He sighed silently to himself.

"Lord Rune—" the Queen said, her voice trembling with tears, "Those orcs—they're even more ferocious this year than in previous years. Many of my citizens have been captured by them, and many towns have been lost—"

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.

"I—I am truly terrified."

Rune felt her grip on his fingers tighten even more.

He turned his head and glanced at Chancellor Bergman standing in the doorway.

The prime minister wore a polite smile, his gaze fixed on the scene in the center of the reception room, showing no intention of speaking.

Rune sighed silently to himself.

I still really dislike this guy.

Sebastian stood two steps behind Rune, his gaze fixed on the hand the Queen was holding Rune's.

So, Lord Rune likes this type.

Sebastian thought to himself.

No wonder Lu En was so resistant when I tried to find out his opinion on Suo Liuxiang.

It's not that Lord Rune doesn't like Solusin, it's just that Lord Rune's taste leans more towards the petite and cute type.

Sebastian's gaze swept over the Queen: her pale pink dress, her fair and slender limbs, and her exquisitely beautiful face, like that of a doll.

She's really cute.

Sebastian made a fair assessment in his mind.

He then thought of Suo Liuxiang's height; that combat maid was much taller than Her Majesty the Queen, and the difference in their stature was even more obvious.

I see."

Sebastian nodded slightly to himself.

No wonder Lord Rune rejected Suo Liuxiang.

Sebastian doesn't object to relationships with a large age gap, as long as it's not forced, then age and race are not problems.

It's just a pity.

It is a great loss to Nazarick that such an outstanding human as Lord Rune was not absorbed into the inner circle of Nazarick.

But Sebastian reconsidered. The Dragon Kingdom was far from the territory of Aindora, and judging from the interaction between Lord Rune and Her Majesty the Queen of the Dragon Kingdom, there seemed to be no substantial relationship between the two.

The brief stiffness in His Excellency Rune's body when the Queen held his hand was not a natural reaction between lovers, but rather as if he was caught off guard by the sudden intimacy.

Therefore, Nazarick is still worth fighting for.

Sebastian began silently matching suitable candidates in his mind.

Judging from the size of this dragon queen—he thought of his subordinate, Edoma Basilisa Zeta, one of the maids of the Pleiades.

Edoma Basilisa Zeta is 149cm tall and level 51. She appears as a sweet little girl, but her true identity is a spider-woman who fights by manipulating various insects.

It might be very suitable to introduce him to Lord Rune.

Sebastian silently kept this candidate in mind.

In the center of the reception room, Derodile was still complaining.

"—Three towns have already fallen at the front lines, and the garrison has suffered heavy casualties. Mr. Serabray and his men have been putting up a fierce fight, but the orcs are simply too numerous—"

Her voice grew softer and softer, and the mist in her eyes finally condensed into tears, which rolled down her cheeks.

"This king—this king truly doesn't know what to do."

Rune watched as tears slid down her cheeks, dripping onto the neckline of her pale pink dress, leaving a small, dark stain.

He opened his mouth, as if preparing to say something—