Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

“I’m not jealous,” Serrabrough corrected, “I just…”

"I just feel like my chance to shine was taken away from me," Malcolm finished the sentence for him.

Serabreu shut his mouth, adopting an attitude of "I can't be bothered to explain to you."

"You've gone too far. There's nothing shameful about liking Her Majesty the Queen." Gladstone, seeing that no one was adding fuel to the fire, immediately crawled out from behind his book and defended his captain with a serious expression.

Cerabray's ears turned visibly red, and his ahoge (cowlick) stood up instantly.

"What nonsense are you spouting!" He stood up abruptly, the longsword nearly slipping from his lap, which he caught in a fluster. "I just... I just think that as the ruler of a nation, it would be very beneficial for the team's future development if Her Majesty the Queen demonstrated the strength of [Crystal Tears] in front of the ruler of a nation."

"Mmm." Alicia nodded, her face still bearing that innocent expression.

Malcolm and Gladstone exchanged a glance, both seeing a tacit understanding in each other's eyes.

Seeing their knowing expressions, Serabreu felt even more frustrated.

"I'm telling the truth!" he emphasized. "I'm not a lolicon!"

The moment those words were spoken, the atmosphere on the city wall subtly shifted.

Malcolm raised an eyebrow, Gladstone buried his face back in his book, and Alicia tilted her head and blinked several times.

Serabreu realized he had inadvertently revealed his true feelings, and his face alternated between red and white.

“What I mean is,” he tried to argue one last time, “I don’t like lolis, it’s just that the people I like happen to look like lolis.”

After he finished speaking, there was a two-second silence on the city wall.

Alicia couldn't maintain her innocent, dazed expression and burst out laughing.

Malcolm's eyes narrowed to slits, his smile quite unrestrained. He reached out and patted Cerabray hard on the shoulder.

Gladstone, hidden behind the magic book, couldn't suppress the smile on his face.

Serabreu opened his mouth, wanting to say something in rebuttal, but found himself making things worse the more he spoke.

"I am not"

"Alright, alright." Malcolm waved his hand with a smile. "The captain isn't a lolicon, he just has a rather unique taste."

“This isn’t a matter of taste!” Serrabreu exclaimed.

Faced with the collective ridicule from his teammates, Cerrabre had no choice but to surrender.

"Never mind." He sat back down on the steps, holding his sword, resting his chin on the hilt, his gaze fixed on the horizon swallowed by twilight. "I'm not going to argue with you."

The last rays of the setting sun peeked through the gaps in the battlements, falling on the group and casting long shadows.

Several nearby Dragon Kingdom soldiers curiously peered over and saw the captain of [Crystal Tears] surrounded by his teammates, his face flushed. They all couldn't help but smile.

"The members of Crystal Tears have such a good relationship."

"Yes."

"Huh? This should be considered workplace bullying, right?"

"You bastard, a brat like you would never understand romance between men."

"You talk as if you're that old."

"Okay, I get it now. You think I'm bullying you, right?"

The next second, the sounds of playful fighting came from the same side.

The brief period of peace was the most wonderful time of relaxation for the people of the Dragon Kingdom.

The following morning, the orc army's camp had a completely different atmosphere of preparation for battle.

One bugle call after another sounded, deep and long, echoing repeatedly through the hills.

The order to assemble the entire army had never been so urgent since the start of the war.

The camps of all the tribes were in an uproar at the same time.

The tiger-headed beastmen of the Steel Fang tribe emerged from their tents, quickly forming a battle formation, their thick tails swishing behind them as they gauged the distance between themselves.

The wolf-headed beastmen of the Blood Night Tribe were even more scattered, and it was understandable that they were somewhat disorganized while on night watch.

The boar-men of the Fang tribe were the last to assemble. They were bulky, with several boar-men carrying huge wooden shields with iron plates nailed to their surfaces, making a clanging sound as they walked.

The Orc King stood on a high platform in front of the main tent, his golden-brown lion mane fluttering in the wind.

His gaze swept over the dark, imposing army before him—a hundred thousand orcs stretching from the hills as far as the eye could see.

A mottled ocean of furs of various colors wove together, flags fluttered in the wind, and the cold glint of weapons stretched as far as the eye could see.

"Good." He murmured his approval, a determined glint in his eyes.

He stepped down from the platform, and the captain of his personal guard immediately followed.

"Your Majesty, all tribes are ready, and Chief Jaka has led the Gale Tribe to set off first."

The Orc King nodded and waved his hand.

The army began to move.

The army of 100,000 men, like a mudslide capable of swallowing everything, slowly advanced eastward along the valleys between the hills.

The Orc King sat in the center of the army, his gaze passing over the ranks in front and looking towards the distant horizon.

He didn't expect to kill the dragon; he just wanted to hurt it and let it know that the orc kingdom was not to be trifled with, and then propose peace talks. That would achieve his goal.

At that time, the Orc Kingdom will only need to make a few symbolic concessions, such as shortening the annual hunting season by one or two months and releasing a small number of old, weak, and unpalatable humans as a formality.

That dragon should be able to accept it.

The Orc King thought this was the perfect solution.

'It can't possibly intend to fight an army of 100,000 alone.'

After the group had been marching for about an hour, the scouts at the front reported back: "That guy is on the hills ahead, he hasn't moved, and seems to be waiting for us."

The Orc King frowned slightly.

He originally thought that the other party would avoid his sharp edge and retreat a distance to find a favorable position.

Unexpectedly, the dragon just stood there, completely unconcerned.

Is it foolishness? Or overconfidence?

He snapped out of his thoughts and ordered the entire army to continue advancing.

Half an hour later, a relatively flat valley appeared among the hills, and at the end of the valley, a figure stood alone in the middle of the road.

Chapter 86 Braised Chicken with Sauce

The Orc King was stationed in the central army, and his figure could be seen even through the layers of ranks.

'This guy...'

He cursed inwardly.

The Orc King intended to intimidate the opponent, hoping that seeing the massive army of the Orc Kingdom would force it to yield.

But the dragon's reaction was completely unexpected.

'Is it really not afraid at all?'

The Orc King stopped his thoughts and raised his hand.

"stop."

The entire army halted its advance.

"Send the order to send an envoy." The orc king turned to look at his side, and the fox-headed scribe immediately understood, choosing a clever orc envoy from the ranks.

This is a young fox-headed beastman with shiny white fur and lively eyes.

He received the order, listened to a few more words from the Orc King, then stepped out of the ranks and ran toward Sebas to make final pre-battle negotiations.

The Orc King's gaze followed the messenger's retreating figure, watching him jog along until he stopped in front of Sebastian and began to convey the Orc King's message.

A moment later.

The messenger ran back to the Orc King.

Looking at the messenger's pale face, the Orc King already had a rough idea of ​​what was going on, but he still asked in a deep voice, "What did that dragon say?"

The fox-headed messenger lowered his head and said in a deep voice:

He said that none of his conditions would change.

The Orc King's face instantly darkened, becoming as gloomy as the sky before a storm.

The messenger was closest to him and could clearly feel the anger emanating from the orc king.

His fox tail was tucked between his legs, and his body trembled slightly involuntarily.

But he still gritted his teeth and completed his mission.

"Your Majesty...that gentleman also said..."

The Orc King turned his head, his amber eyes fixed on him.

The messenger swallowed hard.

"He said he hoped that the dragon-slaying warriors from the Orc Kingdom would come out to fight him, and that the others... should not cause unnecessary casualties."

The moment the words left his mouth, the surrounding air seemed to freeze.

The Orc King's golden-brown lion mane moved without wind, and the muscles on his lion face twitched violently.

His voice rose a few decibels, as if he were shouting to the figure in the distance, or as if he were trying to convince himself.

"Every warrior in the Orc Kingdom is capable of slaying dragons!"

His voice echoed through the hills, and the guards and tribal chiefs around him all lowered their heads, not daring to respond.

The Orc King was panting heavily, his eyes fixed on the lone figure in the distance.

He knew, of course, that he was being stubborn.

But he is the king of this country.