Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Pestonia walked to the corner of the warehouse and stopped in front of the bodies covered with white sheets.

A soft light shone again, forming a circular magic circle. The light gathered in her palm and then slowly poured out, seeping into those bodies that had been dormant for so long.

The dimly lit warehouse was lit up again and again, like a lamp that was repeatedly lit.

Sebastian watched quietly as Pestonia cast her spell. For Pestonia, using high-level resurrection magic repeatedly was also quite taxing.

But he didn't say anything to stop it.

Because Sebastian knew that Pestonia, like him, genuinely wanted to do this.

The final ray of light merged into the chest of the remains.

A moment later, a cough and rapid breathing were heard in the warehouse.

Those bodies that had been cold began to rise and fall again.

“Lord Sebastian,” Pestonia lowered her hands, “they have all been resurrected, but they have just awakened and will need some time to fully recover.”

“…Thank you.” Sebastian nodded slightly, expressing his gratitude in simple language.

Pestonia waved her hand and responded with a smile.

"You're too kind, Lord Sebastian."

The coughing and heavy breathing in the warehouse gradually subsided, and the bodies that had regained their vitality were slowly adjusting their breathing rhythm.

Pestonia took one last look at the soldiers who were slowly sitting up, confirming that they had regained consciousness.

"Lord Sebastian, the mission is complete. If there are no further instructions, I will return to Lord Ainz to report."

"Thank you for your hard work, Pestonia. Please give my regards to Lord Ainz."

Pestonia nodded, and light shone around her. Her figure was swallowed by the teleported light like melting watercolor, leaving a faint magical aftertaste in the air.

The warehouse fell silent again.

Sebastian's gaze fell on the soldiers who had regained their breathing.

They were awkwardly trying to untie the blindfolds.

As Sebastian watched these once-cold bodies come back to life, the wrinkle between his brows slowly smoothed out.

He knew this was no coincidence.

These soldiers died because of the orc attack.

But Sebastian clearly remembered that before that, he had dissuaded Lord Rune from taking harsher measures against the orc prisoners and asked Lord Rune to treat the prisoners in a more lenient manner.

As it turned out, those prisoners were a burden that slowed down the troops and became the enemy's weak point.

If it weren't for those prisoners, perhaps these soldiers wouldn't have died.

Lord Rune has done his utmost, even sacrificing much for the safety of the team.

The person who truly caused all of this was himself; if he hadn't said those things in the first place...

But today he can finally feel less guilty, because all these people have come back to life.

Sebastian exhaled a long breath, which condensed into a white mist in the air before silently dissipating.

The warehouse door was pushed open from the inside by Sebastian.

Sunlight streamed in through the crack in the door, carving a bright line between the dim interior and the dry dust.

Sebastian stood in the light, his silver hair shimmering slightly. A relaxed gentleness appeared on his face. Having accomplished something that had been weighing on his mind for a long time, he felt much more at ease.

“Lord Tapchimi, Lord Rune,” Sebastian said, sounding more cheerful than usual. “We have successfully resurrected him, having fulfilled our mission.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Tapimy seemed to burst into flames from within.

The boy's azure eyes were slightly red, but this time, they were no longer the color of sadness.

"Thank you so much, Lord Sebastian!"

Tajimi could not hide his excitement, and his voice was much louder than usual.

He took a few steps forward, then quickened his pace, almost jogging towards the warehouse.

Sebastian's lips curled up slightly, a kind smile appearing on his wrinkled face.

Seeing Lord Tapchimi's outstretched arms and the eagerness on the boy's face as if he had found something he had lost, he subconsciously opened his arms slightly in response.

However, Taphimi bypassed him.

The boy's body brushed past Sebastian like a gust of wind, causing the old butler's tailcoat to sway slightly.

He practically lunged into the warehouse, knelt down beside Leno, and gently touched the girl's shoulder with his still trembling hands.

“Lenno…” Tapchimi wanted to say the name to her carefully, “Lenno, you’re really back.”

Leno sat on the wooden bed, his eyes still covered by a black eye patch, his messy blond hair hanging down his shoulders.

She followed the direction of the sound for a moment, then reached out and precisely grabbed Tapchimi's arm.

"...Hakimi?" Her voice was still a little hoarse, perhaps because she had just been resurrected, or perhaps because the girl was not very good at speaking. "Hakimi... are you there?"

"Yes, I'm here."

Tajimi hesitated. He didn't know the purpose of the blindfold and didn't dare to remove it from the girl's eyes.

So he gently held her hand in his palm, letting the girl feel his warmth.

Sebastian stood in the doorway, his arms still slightly outstretched.

That posture lasted for a few breaths.

His gaze fell on Tapchimi and Leno's clasped hands, a hint of complexity flashing in his light gray eyes.

He then casually raised his hand and gently scratched his gray hair twice.

The movements were so natural, as if they were something he had always intended to do.

Rune stood a few steps away, just in time to capture the entire process.

Sebastian raised his arms, but Tapchimi walked right past him, so Sebastian had to scratch his head instead.

Rune's lips twitched involuntarily, but he quickly pursed them, suppressing the slight upturn of his lips.

He turned his head and looked at Si beside him.

Si turned her head at the same time, but the light and shadow of the warehouse entrance remained in her light green eyes.

She maintained a very good expression, serious and composed, as if nothing unusual had happened, but Rune noticed that her eyelashes trembled slightly, as if she was also holding back something.

Their eyes met for a fleeting moment in mid-air.

“Brother, the weather is nice today,” Si said first, her tone steady.

"Yes, the sun is shining brightly," Rune replied calmly. "...By the way, where's Iveria? Why isn't she with you?"

Si blinked, suddenly pulled back to the main topic by the question.

"Because of concerns that the Demon King Sagara might launch a surprise attack on the capital, Iveriai has already returned."

“Demon King Sagara?” Rune frowned slightly.

“Hmm.” Si nodded, her gaze shifting from the warehouse to the surroundings, her expression becoming more serious. “It was shortly after you left the capital. A demon calling himself ‘Demon King Rashael’ suddenly appeared in the capital…”

The silk text provides a detailed account of the capital incident.

"...Later, the Demon King Rashael was defeated by the adventurer Feifei. Before he self-destructed, the Demon King said that he was a subordinate of the Demon Emperor Yadabavo, and that the Demon Emperor would avenge him and another vampire named 'Henpeniu'."

Rune listened, feigning shock, but his mind was already racing.

The Demon King Rashael had learned of this matter through the Theocracy during his time in the Orc Kingdom.

The demon king appeared suddenly and self-destructed just as abruptly, like an actor who took the stage specifically to achieve a certain purpose.

Rune was almost certain that this was Nazarick's doing.

Moreover, judging from the description of this demon king's appearance, he is the Angry Demon General in disguise.

Demiurge did not appear at all, probably because he was still wary of the hypothetical enemy he had set up.

But the question is, why has a new demon king appeared?

"And then?" Rune asked. "What happened after the Demon King Rashael self-destructed?"

“A new demon king has appeared, Zagara,” Si replied.

"He claims to be one of the three great demon kings under the Demon Emperor Yadabavo. Although Fei Fei always arrives in time to repel him, he has never been able to completely eliminate him. The capital is still on high alert, and Iveria is worried, so she went back to keep an eye on things."

Rune nodded slightly, but the weight in his heart seemed to have increased.

The current situation is completely different from the original story. Nazarick's actions have long deviated from their original trajectory, and he has lost the ability to predict.

Rune began to worry about the safety of Si Shen in the situation.

"Silk." He suddenly spoke, a hint of scrutiny in his voice. "Didn't you tell me before that you had nothing going on lately?"

Silk paused for a moment.

She blinked her light green eyes, her gaze slightly averted, but the corners of her mouth slowly curved into a smile, carrying a hint of guilt at being caught red-handed.

She raised her hand, tapped her forehead lightly, and then stuck out her tongue.

"Hmm...I think I did say that."

"Then what is this?"

"Hmm~ Well," Si's tone was drawn out softly, buying herself time to make up an excuse, "I was just worried that my brother would be too concerned..."

As she spoke, her gaze began to drift to the side, pretending to look at a bird perched on a distant rooftop.

Seeing her "I know I'm wrong but I don't intend to change" look, Rune finally gave up on pursuing the matter.

Is the level of alert in the capital currently very high?

"Yes, many adventurer teams have reduced their activity areas. As for Blue Rose, I've also told Tina and the others not to split up for the time being. It seems there shouldn't be any major problems so far."

Rune remained silent for a moment.

"Silk."

"Ok?"

"Are you planning to return to the capital alone this time, or...?"