Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

"I'm going to deduct your salary!"

The moment those words left his mouth, Rune himself didn't even realize what he had said.

That was a habitual catchphrase he'd developed in his previous life as the head of a work group. Whenever Sirshana, that chatterbox, started rambling on and on, he'd use that phrase to shut him up. He said it without even thinking, as naturally as breathing.

But at this moment—

After he finished speaking, the room suddenly fell silent.

The silence was almost frozen, a silence where even the candlelight seemed to have stopped flickering.

Because the High Priest knelt down.

Something was trembling violently in those cloudy eyes.

Rune was taken aback.

"You needn't worry, sir. I'm talking about that bastard, Sirshana."

He subconsciously added a sentence, still wondering to himself—

Does this old guy think I'm going to dock his pay?

Rune remembered the Slane Theocracy's system, which seemed to be that the higher the rank, the lower the salary. Someone at the level of the High Priest probably didn't even earn enough to buy a drink for a mid-level nobleman in the capital each month.

Could this be a rule that Sirshah specifically set up to make things difficult for me?

Rune never hesitated to speculate about Sirshana with the utmost malice.

However, the High Priest did not get up.

Instead, he crouched even lower.

On that aged face, two streams of tears slid down the deep wrinkles, dripping onto the cold ground with a faint sound. The sound was very soft, yet it was exceptionally clear in the deathly silence.

"Lord God of Judgment..."

His voice trembled violently, as if he had used all his strength to utter a complete sentence.

"You've misunderstood..."

Rune raised an eyebrow.

"A little money is nothing," the High Priest raised his head, his tear-streaked face now displaying an almost fanatical devotion. "You can deduct my salary for the rest of my life, and I will gladly accept it."

Rune was somewhat surprised.

Is this old man's faith really that lofty?

wrong.

He looked into those eyes and suddenly realized something—

In those cloudy eyes, there was no fear, no fawning, only something he couldn't understand.

It's like anticipation.

It felt like a sense of relief, as if something had finally been awaited.

"Lord God of Judgment."

The High Priest's voice suddenly became steady.

"Please forgive my previous rudeness."

He remained kneeling, but his expression grew increasingly respectful.

"Please forgive my previous probing, and even my feigned belief to deceive the God of Judgment."

He spoke with utmost sincerity, and the look of repentance on his face seemed genuine.

Rune's pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

What do you mean?

Was that old man just acting out my character?

Rune looked at the old man kneeling on the ground and quickly reviewed the conversation in his mind.

From the moment he stepped into the room, the old man's reaction kept changing—first shock, then doubt, then an expression of "finally believing," and now he's saying it was a "pretend"?

Rune was somewhat surprised by the High Priest's acting skills.

That level of performance would have easily earned him a Best Actor award in my previous life.

"Until just now."

The High Priest raised his head, and in his cloudy eyes, there was only an almost sacred light.

"I have finally confirmed that you are indeed the God of Judgment."

"Masaka".

A sense of foreboding welled up in Rune's heart.

But the High Priest did not stop.

"This is a secret that only each High Priest can know."

His voice carried a hint of solemnity, and he seemed to be bathed in some kind of holy light, the tear stains on his face shining brightly in that light.

"The crucial information left by Lord Death to confirm your identity—"

He paused, took a deep breath, and then said in an almost chanting tone:

"The person who said they'd dock my pay is, without a doubt, the team leader." —by Sirshana.

The room fell silent again.

The silence was even more thorough and absolute than before; it was as if even the sound of breathing had been sucked away.

The candlelight flickered.

Rune stood motionless inside the beam of light.

His face was expressionless.

A clear "#" character is slowly emerging on his forehead.

This time, Rune was truly at his breaking point.

"Sirshana—"

He squeezed out the name through gritted teeth, each word sounding as if it had been ground through a millstone several times before being uttered.

"You bastard—!"

Rune's angry voice echoed in the closed room, making the candlelight flicker.

Then he took a deep breath.

Just as I was about to say something—

"Please forgive Lord Death."

The High Priest lowered his head even further, so low that his forehead almost touched the ground.

His voice carried a cautious plea, as if he were afraid that the "God of Judgment" before him might smash the relics of the Grim Reaper in a fit of anger.

He paused, as if considering his words.

"After witnessing the descent of the Eight Greed Kings, the Grim Reaper predicted that you would also descend upon this world in the future."

Rune nodded. This was indeed within his prediction; otherwise, he wouldn't have come to the Theocracy.

"So?" Rune tried to keep his voice calm.

The High Priest finally raised his head.

On that aged face, there was only an almost devout seriousness.

"The core mission of every Supreme High Priest of the Theocracy has been to find you, God of Judgment."

He paused, a complex light flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"only……"

"Just what?"

"But Lord Death said that you are more..."

The High Priest's voice faltered for a moment.

He silently and rapidly organized his thoughts in his mind—

The Grim Reaper's original words were: "That team leader is a coward. He'll definitely change his appearance and hide. When you're looking for him, don't just focus on the strong ones; keep an eye out for the beggars on the street too."

Is it okay to say that?

The High Priest silently prayed in his heart: Lord Death, I believe you will forgive my impolite revisions.

So he took a deep breath and said in a more solemn tone:

"The Grim Reaper said that you are rather... cautious and might change your appearance. He was worried that we wouldn't be able to recognize you, God of Judgment, so he left that divine decree."

"Sirshana is calling me a coward," Rune quickly translated in his mind.

"I never expected you to choose to change your appearance..."

Looking at the innocent face of the six-year-old Rune, the High Priest swallowed back the words he was about to say. He used all his wisdom and cultivation to maintain a pious expression.

"So...young."

After saying that, he lowered his head, his expression extremely devout. There must be a reason why the God of Judgment would dress like this.

On Rune's forehead, a second clear "#" character is slowly emerging.