Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

Chapter 135 Mission

There was not a trace of emotion in these people's eyes.

There was neither fear nor expectation.

It was hollow, as if someone had dug it all out from the inside with something.

They are still breathing, their hearts are still beating.

But Rune knew they were dead.

The core elements that constitute "human beings"—self-awareness, the will to survive, and reactions to the outside world—have all been completely worn away.

These humans are different from the citizens of the former Dragon Kingdom who have been kept in captivity by the beastmen in the border cities for a relatively short time.

They are the "superior breed" cultivated by the beastmen for countless generations.

docile, plump, and unresisting.

Generation after generation, from birth to death, have spent their lives in this small space enclosed by a fence.

They didn't know what the outside world was like, what freedom was, or even that they were "human beings".

All they knew was eating and reproducing. The swill thrown in by the orcs was their daily meal.

Rune's fingers tightened slightly; he had already reached a conclusion.

"It's hopeless."

If he still had any self-awareness, even the faintest form of cognition, he could lead them to the no-man's-land of the orc kingdom, leave some food, and survive this period.

Once the mission is complete, we'll pick them up on the return trip.

But what's in front of us—

Suddenly, Rune noticed one of the little girls.

She huddled in the innermost corner, a short distance away from the others.

She wasn't lying down completely; she was sitting against the fence.

The little girl tilted her head slightly in his direction; she still retained a vestige of human curiosity.

Rune looked at her for a few seconds.

Then he turned around.

"German".

"Here." The veteran immediately stepped forward.

"Go and fetch Tachi Mi."

Gehrman was somewhat puzzled, but didn't ask any further questions.

"Yes," he replied, then turned and strode towards the outside.

The adjutant took a piece of cloth from the horse's back and handed it to him with both hands. The edges were a little worn, but it was still clean.

Rune took the cloth and walked into the open fence.

He walked up to the little girl and squatted down.

Rune spread out the cloth and draped it over her body.

The little girl finally reacted noticeably; she looked down at the fabric on her shoulder.

Rune picked up the little girl and stepped back from the fence.

As soon as she stepped outside, the little girl struggled. The world outside the fence was too unfamiliar to her, and she was terrified.

All she knew was that her companions who left the fence never returned.

"Leaving means disappearing completely."

Despite her young age, she has grasped the principles of this small world.

Footsteps came from behind, quick and forceful.

Tajimi practically ran over.

The boy's short, golden hair was damp with sweat, a few strands clinging to his forehead. His armor was still covered in dust from moving supplies, but he didn't seem to care.

He stopped in front of Rune, standing ramrod straight, his chest rising and falling slightly.

"Lord Rune! You wanted to see me!"

Rune handed the little girl to Tachi Mi.

"Tatch Mee, I'm giving you a task: ensure her safety."

Tachi Mi took the still trembling body.

"I guarantee she will be brought back safely to the territory of Aindora!"

The little girl fell into his arms, trembling slightly, whether she had resigned herself to her fate or had no strength left to struggle.

Looking at the pitiful figure trembling in his arms, Tachi Mi's slight resentment towards the forced requisition of orc food vanished completely.

"Go," Rune said. "Take her to meet up with Sebas, who is on the outer perimeter. This environment isn't suitable for her."

"Yes, Lord Rune."

He turned around and strode out of the village.

Rune watched Tachi Mi's departing figure.

He gave the order to his adjutant: "Begin."

A makeshift courtroom was set up in an open space in the orc village.

A platform made of several wooden planks stood on either side, with the banners of the Eindora family flying on either side, and the black sword emblem swaying slightly in the wind.

In front of the platform was a simple wooden table, on which sat a thick self-governing code of the Aindora territory, its cover worn and frayed from repeated readings.

A priest stood on a high platform.

He wore a white sacrificial robe, with the emblem of the water god pinned to his chest, and had a youthful face.

His innate ability allows him to judge the justice value of those being tried in a courtroom setting.

The remaining orcs were taken to an open area.

Hundreds of orc women and children were crammed together, mostly females and cubs.

Their hair was of varying shades, and their bodies shivered in the breeze.

Several young orc children were still crying, held tightly in their mothers' arms, their cries muffled into indistinct sobs.

The trial has begun.

The priest's voice echoed across the empty space, reading out each charge of sin before activating his innate supernatural abilities.

A soft light emanated from the priest, enveloping each of the orcs who were brought forward.

When the justice value is positive, the light appears as a soft white.

A negative justice value results in a dark gray color.

One orc after another was brought forward, and then taken away.

White light kept flashing, while gray light appeared occasionally, but only very rarely.

Of the more than one hundred orcs, only a dozen or so had negative justice values.

Rune stood on one side of the platform, watching this scene with an expressionless face.

He had known all along that even though all the orcs in this tribe ate people.

But cannibalism was a natural thing for them, just like hunting.

Therefore, their morality score will not become negative because they eat people.

Gehrman stood behind him, his scarred face filled with resentment.

He smirked and muttered to his adjutant beside him in a low voice, "Is this broken ability? How could these man-eating beasts possibly be kind?"

The adjutant didn't dare to reply.

After the priest pronounced judgment on the last orc, he turned around and bowed slightly to Rune.

"My lord, the trial is over."

Rune nodded.

He raised his hand and made a gesture.

The soldiers began their operation.

The dozen or so orcs with negative justice values ​​were taken in another direction, to a secluded spot on the edge of the village, where soldiers were already waiting.

Meanwhile, nearly a hundred orc women and children with positive justice values ​​were taken to the center of the village.

That direction leads to the area where humans were originally imprisoned.

The thick wooden fences are still standing there, but the gate to the enclosure has been repaired and the locks have been replaced.

The beastmen lowered their heads and obediently walked toward the door.

No one resisted. Only a few young children, not quite understanding what was happening, looked around with wide eyes, being pulled by their mothers' hands and stumbling along behind them.

This area, which used to house humans, has now been cleared out.

The orcs were thrown in.