Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

The carriage bumped along the dirt road of the kingdom.

The wheels creaked monotonously over the gravel. Rune leaned against the carriage wall, looking out the window through the half-drawn curtain. The morning light was gradually rising, turning the fields into a warm yellow-green.

The further away from the capital, the more desolate the scenery outside the window appeared.

The farmland is still there, but fewer people are cultivating it. The villages we occasionally pass through have low, dilapidated houses with sparse thatched roofs, as if they haven't been repaired in a long time.

The man standing at the village entrance was dressed in tattered clothes, his expression blank, his eyes following the carriage, yet he seemed to see nothing at all.

Rune withdrew his gaze.

He knew the state of the kingdom, the exploitation by the nobles, and the suffering of the common people. But words are words, and seeing things with one's own eyes is another matter.

Those empty eyes are more convincing than any description.

The carriage traveled for a while longer.

When Rune looked out the window again, he noticed a few people gathered by the roadside.

They knelt on the edge of the field, their clothes tattered, their backs hunched, their hands clasped together in front of their foreheads.

Their lips moved silently, as if chanting something. Sunlight streamed down from above, casting long, hunched shadows onto the parched earth.

"What are they doing?"

Rune asked softly.

The carriage was silent for a moment.

Butler Aldred sat opposite him, his back straight, his hands clasped on his knees. His face, etched with the marks of time, was expressionless, his gaze fixed on a blank spot in the carriage.

He did not answer.

Perhaps he didn't know either.

"They...they might be praying for divine help, because only gods would help them."

A timid voice came from the corner of the carriage.

Rune turned his head.

Hill sat there.

She was still curled up in the smallest ball, knees together, hands folded on her knees.

This pose was probably an imitation of Aldred's earlier. The light gray dress clung tightly to her slender body, and her blue braids hung down her shoulders.

Noticing Rune's gaze directed at her, she shrugged slightly and immediately lowered her head.

Those brownish-yellow eyes were hidden by eyelashes, revealing only a small patch of uneasy shadows.

"Gods?"

Rune thought they were a bit foolish and a bit pitiful.

"There are no gods."

In other words, no one will help them at all.

Hill's body trembled slightly.

But she didn't shrink back as tightly as before.

"some."

Her voice was still soft, but it was a bit more steady than before.

Rune raised an eyebrow.

Hill looked down at his hands folded on his knees.

"Lord Rune..."

Her voice paused, as if she were gathering her courage.

"And Lady Lajus."

She looked up.

Those tawny eyes stared straight at Rune, and this time Hill didn't look away.

"It saved me."

She spoke slowly, pausing between each word.

"They are gods."

The carriage fell silent.

Even the crunching sound of the wheels rolling over the gravel was exceptionally clear.

Even Aldred, the butler, glanced at Hill.

Little sycophant, you've already learned how to flatter so quickly.

"What kind of god is so weak?"

Rune shook his head, his tone tinged with helplessness.

"Lord Rune..."

Her voice was even softer, yet it carried a stubborn seriousness.

"And Lady Lajus, they are both very powerful."

She paused.

"I will always follow the adults."

forever.

Rune looked at her.

In those brownish-yellow eyes, there was only a kind of pure, unreserved trust.

Is she serious?

Rune suddenly felt like laughing.

"Oh?"

Rune's voice was very soft, as if he were asking about something trivial.

"Then what if I, a divine being, order you to die?"

The air in the carriage seemed to freeze for a moment.

Aldred's gaze shifted slightly, landing on his six-year-old master.

Hill was stunned.

For a moment, a look of bewilderment crossed her thin face. She blinked, as if trying to process the meaning of those words.

Then--

"I will."

Her voice was soft, but there was no hesitation in it.

Rune looked at her.

Those brownish-yellow eyes were calm, as if stating a very simple fact.

It's not about trying to please.

It's not a declaration of loyalty.

She really thought so.

This child...

Rune suddenly didn't know what to say.

"So——"

He spoke, his voice flat.

"I command you, Hill."

Hill straightened up slightly, like a soldier waiting for orders.

"Live well."

Rune turned his head and looked into her eyes.

"besides--"

He paused.

"A true god would not send others to their deaths."

His tone was very flat, as flat as if he were saying that the weather was nice today.

"You'd better remember this."

Aldred's gaze lingered on Rune for a moment before he lowered his eyes again, resuming his indifferent demeanor.

"Aldred".

Rune suddenly spoke.

"exist."

The butler's voice remained as respectful as ever.

"Turn around."

Rune opened his eyes and looked out the window at the increasingly desolate wilderness.

"Go to the Slane Church."

The carriage was silent for a moment.

"But--"

The butler paused.

He didn't finish his sentence.

"I command you in the name of Eindora."

Rune's voice wasn't loud, but it echoed clearly throughout the carriage.

"Go to the Slane Church."

He looked into Aldred's eyes.

Those cloudy yet still sharp eyes met his gaze for a second.

Then the butler lowered his head slightly.

"Yes."

The carriage slowly came to a stop.

The coachman's questioning voice came from outside, then was interrupted by Aldred's brief words.

The horses started moving again, their wheels grinding an arc on the dirt road as they turned around.

Sunlight streamed in through the other side of the car window, falling on Rune's face.

He looked out the window.

That original road is gradually receding into the distance. In its place lies another unfamiliar road, leading to an unknown direction.

Rune withdrew his gaze and leaned back against the carriage wall.

The carriage continued on its way.

Heading in a direction completely opposite to what was originally intended.

Rune closed his eyes, feeling the slight vibrations from the wheels rolling over the road.

His thoughts drifted far away, back to six hundred years ago.

Rune understood somewhat why someone like Sirsha would acknowledge the title of god.

Six hundred years ago, humans, who were kept in captivity and used as food, could only eke out a living under the rule of beastmen.

Selshana and his companions descended from the sky, saving these hopeless people and establishing a human nation.

Despite possessing immense power, Sirshah was able to uphold his principles for a hundred years, ultimately dying to protect humanity and the theocracy.

Perhaps Sirshah can indeed be called a god.

"Well done, Sirshana."

Rune opened his eyes and looked at the scenery flashing past the car window. The sun was shining brightly, the wind was gentle, and the distant mountains were faintly visible in the thin mist.

The corners of his mouth turned up slightly.

"I didn't let my team leader down."