Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

'The more serious this prime minister appears, the worse things tend to go later.'

But he did not stop.

At the end of the corridor, the door to the reception room was half-open.

Rune quickened his pace and pushed open the door.

Light streamed in.

Rune hadn't had time to adjust to the change in light from dim to bright.

A small hand grasped his hand.

The hand was small, with fingers as thin as twigs, and the fingertips were slightly cool. It was gripping the little finger of Rune's right hand.

Rune's body froze instantly.

The hand shook, a playful sway, like a child tugging at an adult's clothes, trying to get their attention.

"Lu Enqing"

The sound came from below.

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a slightly drawn-out ending and a trembling tone of grievance, as if she had been bullied by something for a long time and had finally found someone to confide in.

"You've finally arrived..."

Rune lowered his head.

What comes into view is a little girl wearing a light pink dress.

The skirt was very short, almost exposing her entire legs.

Her long, black hair cascaded over her shoulders like a piece of silk ruffled by the wind, with a few stray strands falling beside her ears, making her face appear even smaller.

Her face was exquisite, her features as if they were a work of art sculpted stroke by stroke by the most skilled craftsman.

Her large eyes were filled with a thin layer of mist, and her eyelashes trembled gently, as if tears would roll down from them at any moment.

Her nose was slightly red, and her lips were pouting in a small arc. She exuded an aura of "I am pitiful," "I need to be protected," and "Please don't reject me."

Rune's mouth opened.

His jaw was almost dislocated, his eyes were wide open, his pupils were slightly constricted, and his face was filled with shock.

'What's wrong with the Queen?'

Rune's brain began to function slowly.

'Although in previous years Delonte would also pretend to be a pitiful little girl.'

His gaze fell on the small hand that was clenching his own.

'But why did she suddenly grab my hand and act so affectionately when we came here with Sebastian? What's going on? Will Sebastian misunderstand something?'

Rune's brain seemed to freeze.

The timeline goes back to before Rune arrived in the capital.

The capital city of the Dragon King.

Deloris Oriclus sat on that wide throne.

Her feet dangled in mid-air, her toes still a short distance from the ground, her pink skirt spread out on the dark stone slabs like a flower blooming in the shadows.

Her hands rested on the armrests; her fingers were fair, and her nails were neatly trimmed.

Chancellor Bergman stands below the throne.

His face was calm, his back was straight, and there wasn't a single wrinkle on his dark suit.

"what?"

Deloris's voice came from the throne, filled with obvious displeasure and disbelief.

Her brows furrowed, and her black hair slipped from her shoulders, swaying gently as she turned her head.

Those big eyes narrowed, her lips pressed into a line, and her whole demeanor changed from dignified to ready to refute at any moment.

"Do you want me to act even cuter this year?"

Her voice rose a few decibels.

"Ideally, there should be at least a minimum of physical contact?"

“Yes, Your Majesty.” The prime minister’s rationality was almost cold. “This is the best way to stimulate Lady Aindora’s protective instincts.”

Derodile's lips twitched.

"Is the whole world a lolicon?" Her voice carried a hint of offended dissatisfaction. "Being a little older is more comfortable in every way."

She lowered her head, glanced at her flat chest, then raised her head, her expression even more dissatisfied.

"Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty," the Prime Minister said without even lifting his eyelids, "Only the form of a young girl can arouse the protective instincts of the entire nation. If you wish to maintain the other form, you must first resolve the current state of the country."

Derodile's face flushed slightly.

"Don't describe my appearance!" Her voice grew louder, sharp and almost bristling. "That's what I really look like."

“That is true.” The prime minister showed no emotion. “If things continue like this, you can adopt whichever form you want, since no one will be watching anyway.”

Derodile's lips pressed into a thin line.

She stared at the prime minister's calm face, trying to find any opening for rebuttal.

The prime minister gave her no time to catch her breath.

"This invasion by the orcs is different from the past." His voice was somewhat heavy, and his sharp eyes stared directly at the queen on the throne. "With such a massive force, they must be planning to conquer our country and build a 'pigsty'."

Derodile's fingers gripped the armrest of the throne tightly.

"Currently, the steel-class adventurer team is putting up a difficult fight, but the gap is too large. Perhaps the only solution is to gather the people in the capital and wait for the enemy to run out of food. However, our country's food situation is not optimistic either, and our food problem may worsen first."

His gaze fell on Derodile's face, his eyes reflecting only a rational, almost cold, reality.

"This is really a headache." Derodile's voice lowered, full of exhaustion and helplessness.

"Or send out elite troops to capture the king first," the prime minister said.

"Should we find that lord of Aindora to be our leader?" Droron raised her eyes.

“If they refuse, the leader of Crystal Tears, Serabré, is also an option.” The Prime Minister paused. “But judging from their record, Lord Aindora is undoubtedly the stronger one.”

Derodile paused for a moment, then spoke with obvious shame and indignation:

"Both of these guys are definitely lolicon."

She paused, as if confirming her judgment.

“Especially Serabrough, when he was talking to me, his eyes kept lingering on me. What’s so great about this washboard? If he likes it so much, why doesn’t he look at the wall?”

"In comparison, I'd still choose Eindora."

The prime minister's lips twitched slightly.

"Your Majesty, that's just a personal quirk..." He stopped abruptly halfway through his sentence.

Even the prime minister seemed unable to convince himself, and eventually admitted it.

"...Ah, Your Majesty is right, he is indeed a lolicon."

He eventually admitted it.

Derodile's brow furrowed even more.

"Since you're so sure, I feel even worse."

“However, Your Majesty, judging from the fact that Lady Aindora came all the way from the Kingdom to support the Dragon Kingdom for your sake,” the prime minister said, his tone carrying a subtle undertone, “her lolicon tendencies are probably even more severe than those of Serabra.”

Derodile's face turned even redder.

"Seriously, it would be great if these strong people weren't lolicon."

"Your Majesty, please bear with it a little longer," the prime minister said in a serious tone, uttering a somewhat ominous line. "It's just this level of coquetry; after all, Your Majesty wouldn't want more of your people to be eaten by orcs, would you?"

This is blatant moral blackmail.

Derodile lowered her head, her long black hair obscuring her face.

A long time passed.

“…I understand.” Derodion chose to give in.

Let's return to the present.

Chancellor Bergman stood at the entrance to the reception room, his hands behind his back.

He watched as Rune seemed slightly distracted by Derodile's coquettish behavior.

The young man froze for a moment after the Queen grasped his hand, and only after he realized what was happening did he quickly adjust his expression and bow slightly in greeting.

'I was right.'

The prime minister thought to himself silently.

'Lady Aindora is just very good at disguising herself; at heart, she's still a lolicon.'

'No, think positively.'

'Perhaps Lady Aindora simply has feelings for Her Majesty the Queen.'

'And Her Majesty's current form just happens to be a loli.'

He sighed silently to himself.

"Queen Rune," the queen said, her voice trembling with tears, "those orcs... they're even more ferocious this year than in previous years. Many of my citizens have been captured by them, and many towns have been lost..."

Her voice grew softer and softer until it was almost a murmur.

"I...I am truly terrified."

Rune felt her grip on his fingers tighten even more.

He turned his head and glanced at Chancellor Bergman standing in the doorway.