Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

"Lord Rune," Sebastian bowed slightly, "the matter of the Orc Kingdom has been settled."

Rune put down his pen, gesturing for him to continue.

Sebastian recounted everything he had seen the previous night.

The Orc King was slain by Bazel, his head hanging on the flagpole, and the remaining Orc army had lost all will to fight.

Bazel is drafting a surrender document, promising to return all the occupied Dragon Kingdom territories, release all captive humans, and pass legislation to prohibit the consumption of humans.

Finally, Sebastian added, "That tiger-headed orc named Bazel will likely become the new orc king. He promised me that he would fulfill all the conditions as soon as possible."

Rune's eyebrows twitched slightly as he mentally categorized this "accident."

The internal turmoil in the Orc Kingdom came faster than expected, but the result was the same, or even better, saving them from further back and forth.

"Sebastian, is he reliable?"

“I personally confirmed last night that the Orc King’s head is indeed hanging in the camp, and there is no room for falsehood in Bazel’s attitude.”

Rune was silent for a moment, then nodded.

"In that case, there's no need for us to take a detour."

He walked to the tent entrance and lifted the curtain.

The morning light streamed in from behind the hills to the east, bathing the entire camp in a pale gold glow.

Not far away, the cavalry of the Aindora territory had already tidied up their camp, which was in disarray due to yesterday's battle.

On the east side of the camp, several temporarily requisitioned carts were parked side by side, covered with dark canvas.

Beneath the canvas lay the remains of fallen soldiers.

Rune's gaze lingered on the carts for a moment.

The fence on the west side of the camp, where orc prisoners were originally held, has been breached, and most of the orc prisoners have escaped.

But Rune didn't care. These prisoners were just a safety net he had set up, and he didn't need them now.

Rune raised his hand to beckon his adjutant, who quickly ran over.

"Pass down the order: break camp at noon today." Rune's voice was a bit more relaxed than usual. "Take a straight line, cross the defenses of the remnants of the Orcish army, and return to the Dragon Kingdom."

The adjutant paused for a moment, but quickly nodded and replied, "Yes."

After the order was given, a subtle change occurred in the atmosphere of the camp.

The veterans exchanged glances, unable to suppress the smiles on their lips, while the younger soldiers looked at each other, some not quite understanding.

The weight of this decision to break through the defenses of the orcish remnants is something only those who fought alongside the orcs in the past can truly understand.

In previous years, every expedition required them to take a long detour, avoiding the main force of the orcs, and traversing treacherous mountain paths, which took a lot of time.

This year, they can return home with their heads held high and by taking the shortest route.

Gehrman was the first to grin, slapping the shoulder of the young soldier next to him with his rough hands so hard that the man stumbled half a step: "Did you hear that? The lord said, walk in a straight line!"

The young soldier steadied himself, a rare smile appearing on his face. His comrades who had fallen in the twilight would now have their bodies escorted home by their surviving brothers, and they would swagger through the enemy lines.

This is a posture only the victor deserves.

At noon, the team set off on time.

"Form ranks and proceed along the planned route."

More than a hundred cavalrymen mounted their horses, their mithril-plated armor forming a silvery-white river in the morning light. The warhorses snorted, their hooves pounding the ground, raising clouds of dust that floated in the air.

They carried the banner of the Eindora family, and a black sword stood upright, whistling in the morning breeze.

The column set off in marching formation towards the orc defense line.

There was no concealment whatsoever; it just ran straight across.

The cavalrymen at the front of the column gripped their lances, their eyes fixed straight ahead. Their horses' hooves pounded the cracked earth with a rhythmic, orderly sound, like muffled thunder rolling across the land.

The camp of the remnants of the orcish army is just ahead.

The orc soldiers, who had not yet recovered from their crushing defeat, spotted the silver-white formation from afar.

Their pupils suddenly contracted, their bodies tensed instinctively, and some had already instinctively gripped their weapons.

But no one moved.

Bazel rushed out of his tent the moment he heard the news.

He looked noticeably more haggard than the night before, but he still managed a smile and quickly led a few trusted men to the front of the camp.

He recognized the figure at the very front of the group from afar.

"Make way! Make way now!"

Bazel's voice rang out sharply in the wind, full of undeniable urgency.

He waved frantically at the orc warriors on the defensive line, his tiger head turning an unnatural red with excitement.

"No one is allowed to lay a hand on me! Get out of my way!"

The orcs looked at each other, then stepped aside, making way for a wide passage, like waves split in two by an invisible force.

Rune and Sebastian rode at the front on horseback, at a slow pace.

As he passed through the passage cleared by the orc soldiers, the orcs on both sides lowered their heads.

Some even knelt down, their foreheads pressed against the ground, barely daring to make a sound when they breathed.

Rune's light green eyes swept over the lowered heads without lingering.

Bazel followed the group with his back bent, jogging along the side.

His tiger-like head was plastered with a fawning smile, his posture as humble as the night before.

"Lord Aindora, Lord Sebas! On behalf of the entire Orcish Kingdom, I offer you my deepest apologies! Yesterday's attack was entirely the work of that unscrupulous old Orc King; we were completely unaware of it!"

He ran as he spoke, kicking up clouds of dust as he stepped through the dirt.

"The surrender document is being drafted, and I will personally deliver it to you once it is finished!"

Rune didn't look at him, his gaze remaining fixed ahead. His horse passed through the ranks, its hooves leaving uniformly deep hoofprints on the ground cleared by the orc soldiers.

The entire orc kingdom's defenses fell silent as he passed by.

Those orc soldiers who once fed on humans were now kneeling on the ground, not even having the courage to look up.

Rune's group marched into the deepest part of the camp. The orc warriors behind them looked at Rune and Sebastian, who were leading the way, with only a deep-seated fear in their eyes.

The sound of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance on the wind, eventually disappearing at the horizon.

Bazel didn't care that a mere human ignored him. For humans who could control such powerful dragons, it was normal for them to look down on a small orc like him.

"...Finally, they're gone."

He said this with a sense of relief, then turned to look at the flagpole in the center of the camp, and Bazel remained silent for a moment.

He then ordered the soldiers to remove the head from the head, and he turned and returned to the main tent.

Chapter 105 Wedding Preparations

When Rune led his troops into the border city of the Dragon Kingdom, they were spotted by the soldiers guarding the city from afar.

The news spread like wildfire across the city walls, from the watchtowers to the city gates, and then to the streets and alleys. In a short time, the entire city was in an uproar.

When Rune's horse hooves stepped onto the road in front of the city gate, the roadside was already crowded with people.

There were women holding children, elderly people in their twilight years, children being lifted above adults' heads and waving their little hands, and even some soldiers guarding the city wearing leather armor.

They crowded to the front of the crowd, craning their necks to look around.

Cheers came from afar, like a tide approaching, overflowing the city gates, and finally exploding into a boiling wave of sound in front of Rune.

"Lady Aindora is back!"

"The orcs have been defeated! It was Lord Aindora who defeated them!"

"Look at that flag! It's the flag of the Eindora family!"

Rune, riding on horseback, was surrounded by this scene.

Beside him sat Sebastian, the old butler, seated on horseback, his gaze calmly sweeping over the crowd, though a gentle smile appeared on his wrinkled face.

Behind them were the cavalry of the Aindora Territory, their mithril-plated plate armor reflecting a dazzling light in the sunlight. The edges of the armor still bore the marks of battle, with a few scratches and dark patches, which only made them appear more imposing.

The new recruits in the team had clearly never experienced anything like this before.

When people on both sides of the road threw flowers and ribbons at them, their faces turned bright red, and they were momentarily at a loss for what to do.

The veterans were slightly better; they straightened their backs and raised their chins slightly.

Someone even managed a rare grin as he passed a child waving at him, though the smile was as rough as lines carved into stone.

Rune also felt a long-lost sense of relaxed joy.

His lips curved naturally, his gaze sweeping over the cheering faces, occasionally raising his hand to wave at the crowd.

The fatigue from days of travel seemed to be washed away by these sounds at this moment.

If we can ignore the person who is striding confidently out of the crowd...

"Rune Aindora!"

The voice of Captain Cerabray of Crystal Tears still stood out clearly amidst the waves of cheers.

He emerged from the gaps in the crowd, longsword hanging at his waist, and charged menacingly towards Rune's horse, tilting his head back, his tuft of hair sticking up high in the wind.

"I haven't lost yet!"

His voice was louder than usual, as if he were competing with the cheers around him.

His upright face was filled with seriousness, and a hint of urgency, as if he were trying to confirm that he hadn't been outdone.

Rune lowered his head and looked at the captain of the steel-level adventurer squad who was blocking his way.

The cheers around them continued, but several nearby citizens had already peered curiously in their direction. Some recognized Cerabray and whispered among themselves.

Looking at his "I'm here to declare war" expression, Rune sighed inwardly and then gave a gentle smile.

"I know."