Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Then Silk pulled Iverie over, her steps light and quick.

"Brother!"

Iverai was being pulled along by her, her steps a few beats slower than Si's. The hem of her cloak swayed slightly in the wind, and her eyes behind the mask revealed no expression.

But the aura emanating from him was less like he was pulled here and more like he was dragged along the way.

Rune watched the figure rush towards him through the sparse crowd, and a thought flashed through his mind.

Didn't he just notify Si via [Message] yesterday? How come it arrived today?

"Brother! Are you alright?" Si stopped in front of him, her gaze quickly sweeping over Rune's entire body. Only after confirming that he was not injured did she breathe a sigh of relief.

Rune raised his hand and gently pressed it against her head. "I'm fine. But you, how did you get here so quickly?"

He wasn't lying; his injuries had healed yesterday thanks to the local priest's treatment, so he was naturally fine.

Si blinked, her anxious and worried expression suddenly turning into one of guilt. Her gaze shifted slightly away, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up, but she quickly pursed them back.

Rune raised an eyebrow.

"...I just sent the message yesterday."

"Um……"

"You only spent half a day traveling from the capital?"

"Um……"

"You didn't set off as soon as you got the news, did you?"

Si pursed her lips even tighter, her gaze drifting towards the rooftop beside her.

“I’m fine…” Si’s voice trailed off.

Just as Rune was about to press further, a "calm" voice interrupted from the side.

"From yesterday afternoon until now, I've used the [Teleport] spell three times."

Rune turned his head.

Iver spoke silently beside Silk.

She was still dressed the same way, a long red robe wrapped from head to toe, a mask covering her entire face, with only a glimmer of deep light visible through the narrow slits in her eyes.

Iver's tone was as flat as if he were reading a report devoid of emotion.

"I'd been to the Dragon Kingdom before, so the leader dragged me here, constantly casting [Teleport] spells. Even after we teleported nearby, they were practically dragging me along."

She spoke in a flat tone, but Rune somehow sensed the exhaustion of being overworked all day.

"Thank you for your hard work," Rune said to Iveria with sincere apology.

“It’s nothing,” Iver said, his tone still flat.

Si tapped her forehead, stuck out half of her tongue, and her light green eyes were full of feigned innocence and cunning.

"Because... I wanted to see my older brother as soon as possible."

That look clearly indicated an attempt to get away with being cute.

Rune looked at her, and the little bit of blame he felt quickly dissipated.

On another note, Iver, you're a vampire who's lived for over two hundred years, how come you get tired after just a few uses of [Teleport]?

As the captain of the Blue Rose team, Si's ability to cooperate with her teammates actually demonstrates that the Blue Rose team has a good sense of cohesion.

'Hmm, in that case, Iveria is starting to slack off a bit.' Rune changed his stance without any hesitation.

The next second, Iver spoke again.

"Actually, we arrived this morning." Her voice came from behind the mask, still in that flat tone, "The team leader insisted on seeing you return in triumph, so we've been hiding over there."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Si's face flushed red instantly.

"I-Iverie!" She turned around abruptly and grabbed Iverie's mask with a light touch, enough to shut him up before he could finish speaking.

With her mask pressed down, Iverai made a muffled "uh" sound and then stopped struggling.

Rune watched this scene, unsure of what to say for a moment, and his gaze fell on Iveria.

Although she wore a mask, Rune could read a sense of helplessness in her posture, a feeling of "being used to it."

He looked at Si again; she was trying to remain calm, but the blush at the base of her ears had spread to the base of her neck.

“…Let’s go back to the base first.” Rune broke the silence first and strode forward.

Silk followed as if granted a pardon, while Iverie lagged half a step behind.

Suddenly, Si noticed an old man in a black tailcoat standing quietly to the side.

Sebastian noticed the gaze and turned his head slightly.

“Brother,” Si’s voice came from behind, tinged with curiosity, “who is this old gentleman…?”

Rune paused for a moment.

He sighed inwardly, then turned and walked back, standing between Silk and Sebastian.

“This is Sebastian, my friend,” Rune introduced, trying to keep his tone steady. “Sebastian, this is my sister, Siennandora. And that’s her teammate, Iveria.”

Silk bowed politely to Sebastian. As the captain of the Blue Rose and a noblewoman from the kingdom, she was naturally very courteous.

"Mr. Sebastian, thank you for taking care of my brother along the way."

Sebastian nodded slightly in return, a gentle smile appearing on his wrinkled face. "Miss Aindora, you flatter me. It was Lord Rune who took care of me."

Rune keenly noticed that Sebastian's gaze did not linger on Silk for long before quickly shifting away, which secretly relieved him.

Clearly, Sebastian's mind is now entirely on Tapchimi, and his interest in women has plummeted.

“Silk,” Rune picked up the conversation, steer the conversation towards the main topic, “Do you remember the favor I asked you to do?”

Si's expression turned slightly serious, her previous coquettish, younger-sister demeanor fading as she began to display the competence of an adventurer captain. "Is it about reviving the soldiers?"

“Hmm.” Rune nodded, his expression turning serious. “Many soldiers perished on this expedition. Most of the bodies are well-preserved and should be able to be brought back using [Resurrection of the Dead].”

He paused, his gaze darkening slightly.

"There's another child."

"A child?" Si was slightly taken aback.

“I’ll tell you the details on the way,” Rune said, not elaborating further. “Let’s go see the soldiers first. Their bodies have already been laid to rest.”

Si didn't ask any further questions and nodded. "Okay."

Rune turned to Sebastian and said, "Sebastian, I'll take Silk to deal with the resurrection first. You've worked hard too, go and rest."

Sebastian nodded slightly, clearly not thinking about this either.

"Yes, Lord Rune."

“As for Taphimi…” Rune hesitated for a moment, “I’d appreciate it if Sebas could keep an eye on things.”

Sebastian's eyebrows twitched almost imperceptibly.

“…Hmm.” His voice was a little lighter than before. “This is what I should do.”

Rune turned around and led Silk and Iveria towards the encampment.

After walking a dozen or so steps, Si, who was following beside Rune, suddenly lowered her voice and asked, "Brother, is Mr. Sebastian... troubled by something?"

“Yes.” Rune didn’t deny it. “He has someone he cares about a lot.”

Si's ears twitched slightly, revealing a meaningful expression.

"Oh~?"

“It’s not what you think,” Rune glanced at her. “It’s an elder’s concern for a younger person.”

"How did you know what I was thinking, elder brother?"

"Every time you make that face, your mind is racing with all sorts of random thoughts."

Si pursed her lips but did not refute.

The garrison was located on the west side of the city, in a relatively spacious open area.

Several rows of low stone houses lined the dirt road, with clothes hanging to dry under the eaves.

At this moment, most of the soldiers had been dismissed to rest, leaving only the sentries on duty and a few logistics personnel organizing supplies.

The adjutant spotted Rune and his party from afar and quickly approached them.

His gaze swept over Si and Iverie, and he recognized the woman in the red and white armor.

“Miss Si?” he blurted out, his tone filled with undisguised surprise. “What are you doing here…?”

Si nodded slightly to him, a polite smile curving her lips: "Lieutenant Gerhardt, it's been a long time. I'm here to help."

The adjutant's expression relaxed slightly, as if he had thought of something, and he turned to the side and gestured for the adjutant to proceed.

"Over here. The bodies are all stored in the warehouse, preserved using ice magic to prevent them from decomposing."

The warehouse was small, with a thick wooden door that kept out the outside temperature and light.

As soon as I opened the door, a blast of cold air hit me, carrying the damp smell of stone and a faint scent of rust.

More than a dozen bodies were neatly arranged on a makeshift wooden bed, covered with white linen, with only their heads and hands showing.

The fabric bulges slightly, outlining the quiet silhouette below.

Si walked into the warehouse, her gaze slowly sweeping over the faces of the row of corpses. Her expression did not change much, but her breathing was noticeably slower than before.

She stopped in front of a body. It was a young soldier, who looked to be in his early twenties, with his lips slightly pursed, as if he were asleep.

Si placed her right hand over her chest and whispered a few prayers.

A light shone from her palm, as if summoned from the void by those words, spreading out in the dim warehouse.

Warm light, like mercury spilling onto the ground, enveloped the sleeping figures.

Fifth-tier faith-based magic, [Resurrection of the Dead].

Rune stood at the warehouse entrance, watching the light slowly seep into the corpse's skin and bones, repairing those fatal wounds.