Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Perhaps his aesthetic sense is not wrong, but he cares too much about what others think.

Ainz tapped his finger bones lightly on his skull, making a soft "tap-tap" sound.

Just to be on the safe side.

He made a decision in his heart.

'Let's test the waters a bit more before drawing conclusions.'

After all, as the ruler of Nazarick and the bearer of the name Ainz Ooal Gown, he could not easily do anything that was inconsistent with his status.

What if that move wasn't actually cool, but it just so happened that the citizens of Yelantier and Demiurge happened to have a strange sense of aesthetics...

Ainz felt that although the possibility was slim, it still existed.

'Find an opportunity to ask Albedo.'

He was silently making plans in his mind.

'If even Albedo thinks that move is cool, then it probably really is cool.'

Ainz nodded, feeling a sense of satisfaction with this prudent plan.

The seventh level of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.

Demiurge passed through the corridor that surrounded the flowing lava and returned to his dwelling, the Crimson Temple.

This Greek-style temple ruin stands surrounded by a river of lava, its charred stone pillars covered with dark red cracks, as if the entire building were slowly burning.

The heat wave surged in from all directions, and the sulfurous smell in the air was so strong that you could almost taste it.

But for Demiurge, this was the most comfortable environment imaginable.

He passed through the temple's archway and entered the inner room, which had been set up as a study.

His gaze, behind his round glasses, swept across the desk, where various intelligence reports from Sebastian were laid out.

Demiurge sat down at the desk.

He didn't rush to flip through the documents he had already read several times; his thoughts began to flow smoothly and methodically.

Lord Ainz has agreed to let him begin the second phase of the mission.

Although Lord Ainz did not explicitly explain the details of the second phase, probably testing his judgment, Demiurge felt that he had fully understood Lord Ainz's intentions.

The first stage involves building reputation in Yerantir through the identity of the adventurer "Flyff" to obtain the qualification of a Steel-class adventurer, thereby opening a passage to the upper echelons of the kingdom.

Pandoracz has done an excellent job in this regard.

Next, we need to extend our influence from Yelantil to the capital, the center of power in the kingdom.

To achieve this, a suitable entry point is needed.

Demiurge opened his eyes and picked up the intelligence summary about the kingdom's nobles that Sebas had sent back from the table.

This is combined with the information sent back by Pandora that the [Eight Fingers] had been annihilated by the Steel-class adventurer team Blue Rose and Princess Lana.

A confident smile appeared on Demiurge's lips.

The key person chosen as the entry point needs to attract enough attention, but not so much as to overly disrupt the operation of the country.

And the candidate who perfectly fits the requirements of Lord Ainz's plan.

That's right

Demiurge's finger glided lightly across the paper, eventually stopping at a name.

Barublowal Leo Ignaler Vansef.

The first prince of the Kingdom of Riestij, and the first in line to the throne.

Demiurge carefully recalled Sebastian's description of the prince: arrogant, short-sighted, pleasure-seeking, and with almost no redeeming qualities.

His smile gradually took on a more meaningful tone.

Chapter 48 The Angry Eldest Prince

In the private drawing room of the first prince, Balbro, in the royal capital of Lorenzo, the air was as heavy as an afternoon before a storm.

"boom!"

A crystal wine glass shattered against the stone wall, shards flying everywhere, and dark red wine trickled down the wall like a dried bloodstain.

"Lana!"

Barublow's voice echoed in the room, filled with suppressed rage.

"And those vile women from the Blue Rose gang!"

His face flushed red, the veins on his forehead throbbed, and his blue eyes burned with undisguised hatred.

"Your Highness, please calm down! Your Highness, please calm down!"

Baron Chenaco sprang from his chair, his thin body nimbly dodging the flying shards.

He was bent over, rubbing his hands together in front of him, his face, covered with a mustache, was full of smiles, and with his small eyes, he looked just like a fawning mouse.

Barubro was panting heavily, his chest heaving violently.

He didn't reveal the real reason for his anger: [Eight Fingers].

The Eight Fingers are Balburo's source of wealth and also his intelligence network of spies planted in the capital.

When necessary, it can even be used as a covert tool to suppress dissent.

Now, it's all gone.

That bitch Lana, in league with the Blue Rose, burned his life's work to ashes overnight.

His private treasury lost a vital source of funds.

Those spies who originally relied on the "Eight Fingers" to transmit intelligence are now reduced to a few who have slipped through the net, cowering in their holes like frightened mice, too afraid to show their faces.

What's even more infuriating is that Lana gained fame by stepping on his corpse.

The princess's name has now spread throughout the streets and alleys of the capital, and even commoners know that it was Her Highness who led the eradication of the kingdom's scourge.

He, the kingdom's first prince and the rightful heir to the throne, didn't even get a speck of dust in this power struggle.

Barubro clenched his fist tightly, his nails digging into the flesh of his palm.

Lana and Zanak are getting too close.

The second prince, Zanak, the plain-looking and weak-willed younger brother, has now formed an almost natural political alliance with Lana.

With the two working together, Lana's reputation will be used by Zanak.

Barubolo dared not think any further.

He slumped back into his chair, like a bag of grain whose support had been emptied.

The burst of fury I had just felt seemed to have been drained away, leaving only an empty exhaustion.

"Your Highness..."

Baron Chenaco cautiously approached, took out a clean handkerchief from his pocket, and presented it to him with both hands.

"Please calm down. Getting angry will only harm your health, which would be exactly what the Second Prince wants."

Barubro took the handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his forehead. This useless fellow only knows how to say flattering things.

“You’re right.” Barublow tossed the handkerchief back. “I can’t let that ugly freak Zanak laugh at me.”

His gaze fell on the ceiling. Where was the problem?

He thought for a moment.

'High-end combat power.'

Balbro had his answer: it was precisely because Lana possessed high-level combat power that she was able to easily cut off the [Eight Fingers].

He silently analyzed the power structure of the kingdom in his mind.

The kingdom's steel-class adventurer party, [Blue Rose] and [Crimson Dewdrop].

The leader of the [Blue Rose] clan, Si, is the daughter of Count Eindora. The Eindora family is an old noble family in the kingdom and holds a pivotal position in the pro-king faction.

More importantly, there's Silk's brother, Rune Aindora.

The man known as the "Knight Lord" is said to be on par with the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, Gerdev Stroronov, in terms of personal strength.

Moreover, he had been operating in the territory of Aindora for many years and had an elite cavalry regiment under his command that would launch expeditions to the Dragon Kingdom every year, making him very experienced in combat.

Such high-level combat power, yet they are on Lana's side.

Barubro scratched his head in frustration.

The captain of another adamantite-class squad, Crimson Dewdrop, is Azis Eindora, who is the uncle of Silk and Rune.

In other words, both of the Steel-class squads have intricate connections with the Eindora family.

The Aindora family is also close to Lana and Zanak.

Barubro gritted his teeth.

Gödel Stroronov, the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, is also very powerful, but that blockhead is loyal to his father, the King.

He also tried to win over Gazeta, but Gazeta always remained distant. While Lambusa III was still alive, Gazeta could not possibly side with any of the princes.

As for Brian Angraus, who once fought Gerdev to a standstill in the royal duel...

Barublow recalled the scene when he sent someone to recruit that wandering samurai.

The down-on-his-luck man held a worn-out knife in his hand and looked at the messenger he had sent with the eyes of someone looking at trash.

"I have no interest in the games of the nobility."

The messenger's words infuriated Barubro so much that he smashed a tea set.

That piece of trash, he was clearly beaten to a pulp by Gerdoff, what right does he have to be picky?

Barublow took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.

Now is not the time to be angry; he needs to find a way out of this predicament.