Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

Why is Raven Hou here?

How could the death of an honorary baron possibly alarm the most powerful figure among the six noble families?

On the bright side, perhaps his injury as the heir of the Eindora family has caught the Marquis's attention.

After all, although Aindora could not compare to top nobles like Marquis Raven, it was still an old earldom. It was barely acceptable for the marquis to come and visit after the heir was attacked.

but--

Not too possible.

Rune quickly dismissed the idea in his mind.

Raven's abilities are beyond doubt; in the original work, he is worthy of being called "the greatest contributor to preventing the collapse of the country."

But the current Lord Raven is not the "Bat" who later wavered between the royal faction and the noble faction. Lord Raven maintains the balance of the kingdom because of his son.

The newly enthroned Marquis Raven has no children and is undoubtedly an ambitious man.

An ambitious man who wanted to overthrow the monarchy, but he was very good at disguising himself, like a "bat" in the night.

The Aindora family actually leans towards the "pro-kingdom" faction.

So, is Lord Raven trying to use this opportunity to target House Aindora? Or rather, to strike at the "pro-kingdoms"?

"What a fake." Rune thought, looking at Raven's still-present "friendly" smile.

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"That day I secretly took my sister..."

As Lu En spoke, he glanced timidly at his father.

There was a child's guilty conscience in his eyes—like the evasive look one has when caught skipping class, both afraid of being scolded and unable to resist trying to explain.

Count Alves's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.

But he didn't say anything.

He simply stood by the bed, his hands behind his back, his perpetually serious face revealing no emotion.

Raven noticed the subtle interaction between the father and son.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly, and a hint of interest flashed in his slender blue eyes.

"Sneaking around?" He deliberately lowered his voice, asking in a coaxing tone, "What were you secretly doing, little Rune?"

Rune lowered his head, his fingers unconsciously clutching the corner of the blanket.

"...Go out and have some fun."

His voice became even softer, like a child confessing to something they had done wrong.

"When I woke up this morning, the weather was lovely, so I...I thought I'd go for a walk with my sister. I didn't tell Butler Aldred, or even Father..."

Lei Wenhou chuckled softly.

"Children are playful, that's normal," he said, turning his gaze to Count Alves. "Lord Alves, don't you think so?"

The count did not respond.

He simply looked at Rune, his deep eyes holding a hint of scrutiny, and something else that Rune couldn't understand.

Rune did not look up.

But he could feel his father's gaze on him—heavy, like some kind of silent pressure.

"And then?" Raven's voice drew attention back. "Little Rune, what happened when you went out to play?"

Rune twisted his fingers on the corner of the blanket.

"I... my sister and I went to the market."

He spoke slowly, as if recalling and recounting something.

"The market was so lively, there were so many people, and all sorts of things were being sold. We... watched for a while, then Laju got tired and went home first. Then I wanted to wander around in a less crowded area, so I went to a side alley."

He paused.

"Then I heard someone kicking the wall in the alley."

"Kick the wall?" Lei Wenhou raised an eyebrow slightly.

"Hmm." Rune nodded. "Bang, bang, very loud. And someone's cursing something."

"I was a little curious, so...so I went to take a look."

As he spoke, he looked up, his face showing the lingering fear of a child who had done something they shouldn't have.

"And then?" Ravenhou's tone held a hint of urgency. "What did you see?"

"I saw..."

Rune's eyes became somewhat blank, as if he were recalling a scene that did not exist.

"There was a man standing there. He was wearing dark clothes and was very fat. He was swearing, and he was swearing very rudely. I couldn't quite understand what he was saying, but it seemed like he was saying something..."

He frowned slightly, pretending to try hard to remember.

"What are you saying, 'I, the Baron of Levion, only give me this little bit of profit, and all my goods are the best'?"

He imitated that exasperated tone, his voice rough and completely different from his previous soft, childlike voice.

Lei Wenhou's expression faltered slightly.

But he did not interrupt.

"Then he cursed again," Rune continued, "'Damn bastards, just a bunch of muscle-bound thugs and idiots.'"

At this point, Rune looked up, his face showing the confusion typical of a child.

"My lord, what does 'muscular scoundrel' mean?"

Lei Wenhou's expression was subtle for a moment.

But in just a moment, his face regained that friendly smile.

“They’re some…bad people,” he explained. “Little Rune, don’t worry about them.”

"Oh." Rune nodded obediently.

"And then?" Raven continued to ask.

Rune thought for a moment.

"He seems...drunk?"

He tilted his head, pretending to recall something.

"His face was very red. He was walking unsteadily, barely able to stand. He was kicking the wall while cursing. After cursing, he leaned against the wall, panting, and then started cursing again."

The drunken scene was obviously fabricated by Rune, but Baron Levion, who had been devoured by wild dogs, could no longer verify it.

This time, the Paw Patrol team made a great contribution.

Lei Wenhou frowned slightly.

Drunk.

That's a reasonable explanation.

He knew a little about Rivia's reputation. That kind of low-ranking nobleman, relying on his collusion with Eight Fingers, ran rampant in the capital. Getting drunk and going crazy was indeed something he would do.

"And then?" Ravenl pressed. "He saw you?"

Rune nodded, a hint of lingering fear appearing on his face.

"I...I was startled and tried to leave. But he saw me."

He pursed his lips.

"He saw me, his eyes widened, and then he laughed. That laugh... it was terrifying. He walked towards me and said..."

Rune paused, then his voice became even softer.

"They say I'm worth a good price."

After Rune finished speaking, a silence fell over the three of them.

The meaning of this sentence was understood by all three people present.

"Then I told him my name," Rune broke the silence. "I told him I'm from the Aindora family. I wanted to... I wanted to tell him not to arrest me."

"And then what happened to him?"

He seems...very angry.

Rune lowered his head, his fingers gripping the corner of the blanket tightly.

He said, "You nobles all deserve to die. You eat so much, aren't you afraid of choking to death?" Then he pulled out a knife and tried to cut me.

"Watch how I use a story to make Baron Leviathan offend two powerful forces," Rune thought with a hint of malice.

He raised his head and looked at Lei Wenhou.

Those light green eyes held the unique innocence of a child, along with a hint of lingering fear and tears.