Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight.

Lana put down her pen and gently pushed the sheet of paper covered in writing to the center of the round table.

"It's solved."

Her small movement drew the attention of all three people present to the piece of paper.

Sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting dappled patterns on the paper, making the neat handwriting appear exceptionally clear.

Lahoz reached out and picked up the paper, her eyes scanning the place names listed on it.

Her brows furrowed slightly, and her lips pressed into a thin line. This was the expression she wore when she was thinking.

Rune knew this expression all too well; when they were kids, Lajus would always make this face whenever she couldn't do her homework.

"These are..." Lajus looked up at Lana.

"Seven locations within the capital, plus several others within the kingdom."

Lana's voice was soft, with a calm gentleness, "I suspect these places are likely outposts or intelligence stations of other departments of Eight Fingers."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the paper.

"The fact that this coded document was placed in the drug division's village is quite telling. Although Eight Fingers is the same organization, the relationships between the eight divisions are not harmonious. Deliberately leaving the intelligence of other divisions there is probably to distract the enemy in the event of an external conflict."

Tina tilted her head, a hint of realization flashing in her wine-red eyes.

"...I see. So it was bait."

"It's less of a bait and more of a scapegoat."

Lana's voice was gentle, but her words were frighteningly calm: "Using other departments' bases in exchange for the drug division's security. This kind of scheming is probably commonplace within Eight Fingers."

Lahoz put the paper back on the table and lightly tapped one of the place names with her fingertip.

"This brothel..." she said in a lower voice, her tone filled with suppressed anger.

"Tina and the others investigated. It's currently the only illegal brothel still operating in the capital. The person behind it is very likely the head of the slave trade department—Kekedaoer."

Lahoz applied slight pressure with her fingers, her nails pressing a shallow mark into the paper.

"You can experience every imaginable service there."

As she said this, Lahoz's lips curled down, and a hint of undisguised disgust flashed in her light green eyes.

There's no need to even think about what it means.

It is certain that several people, regardless of gender, were killed for entertainment.

Rune looked at her profile. The light shone on her golden hair, illuminating that small patch.

His sister is now nineteen years old and is no longer the little girl who would obediently leave because he lied to her and said, "Brother is going to purify the souls of demons."

She is now the captain of a steel-class adventurer party, with her own beliefs and things she must do.

Lajus will definitely do this.

Rune knows her too well.

The little girl who, back then, would rush into an alley empty-handed to recite lines from a chivalric romance novel to the Baron in order to save a commoner girl she didn't know.

Now that she's facing a criminal organization like the Eight Fingers, she can't just stand by and do nothing.

Let the blue rose tackle the [eight fingers].

Although the possibility was very low, he was still worried that something might happen to Lajus during the process.

After all, it's different from the original story now.

Rune's gaze shifted from Lahoz's face to the paper on the table covered with place names.

The sunlight cast a slight yellow hue on the paper, making the writing appear as if it were engraved on it, each stroke clear and distinct.

He originally had another plan.

Let the adventurer "Flying" deal with the Eight Fingers. This way, he can both get in touch with Ainz Ooal Gown and eliminate the trashy Eight Fingers organization, killing two birds with one stone.

But now, Old Bone has chosen to shrink his influence, and he's no longer active even as an adventurer. The connection with Fei Fei is temporarily off.

Then there's no need to drag it out any longer.

It's a bit of a pity that the eight-fingered trash couldn't be reused and made to realize its final value.

On the bright side, if these trash actually do fall for Ainz, it would only cause more trouble.

In the original story, these scumbags actually fared better than ordinary people in most kingdoms simply because they sided with Nazarick.

Someone who shouldn't have died died.

The damned people are living perfectly well.

Rune didn't want to see something like this happen once in the original story and then again in real life.

Since that's the case, let's eliminate them all.

Rune raised his eyelids and looked calmly at Lana.

"I'll help with the matter of [Eight Fingers] too."

Lana's gaze lingered on Rune's face for a moment.

Something flickered slightly in those deep blue eyes, as if they were confirming something.

Then Lana revealed an innocent smile, like the first flower to bloom in spring.

"I'm so glad Rune can help." Her voice was soft, filled with obvious joy. "But... won't this affect the Eindora family?"

When Lana said this, her eyes were filled with genuine concern, as if she was truly only thinking of Rune and the Eindora family.

Lahoz also turned her head to look at her brother.

Rune waved his hand.

"It's alright."

His tone was casual, as if he were talking about something trivial. He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile curving his lips, revealing a hint of self-deprecation.

"Anyway, I've done plenty of unorthodox things, so one more won't make a difference."

Lahoz's lips twitched slightly.

She recalled her brother's "glorious deeds" over the years, especially his long journey to the Dragon Kingdom to aid that little queen.

Lana chuckled softly.

"That's good," she said, then turned to Lahas, "Lahas, could you please inform the members of Blue Rose to prepare?"

Lahoz stood up upon hearing this, but did not immediately head for the door.

She stood there and said goodbye to Lana. "Lana, my brother and I will go back and prepare. Tina, let's go."

"...Understood, Boss Devil."

Tina sprang up from her chair with a light step. She followed Lajus toward the door.

Lahoz took a couple of steps and realized that a familiar footstep was missing from behind her. She stopped and turned around.

Rune was still sitting in the chair.

"Brother?" Lajus frowned slightly. "He's gone."

"You should go back first," Rune said calmly. "I have some things to attend to."

Lahoz's gaze changed instantly; her sharp and shrewd demeanor was completely different from when she was deciphering the mystery.

Rune looked calmly at Lajus, their gazes meeting in the air. The unspoken understanding between the siblings finally put Lajus at ease.

"...Okay." She nodded and walked out with Tina.