Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

"Ouch~" Si complained, clutching her head.

Looking at that feigned aggrieved expression, Rune felt even more helpless.

Of course he knew she was perfectly fine. He wouldn't dare to flick his own sister too hard, not even leaving a red mark.

But Si acted very seriously, and every part of her face, from her eyebrows to the corners of her mouth, conveyed the feeling that "I was bullied".

"Stop pretending," Rune said.

Si lowered her hand, and the aggrieved expression on her face vanished instantly, replaced by a sly smile.

She blinked, but the probing look in her eyes hadn't completely faded.

"But what I just said... was serious." As if thinking of something sad, Si's voice returned to its previous low tone.

"Now many people in the Dragon Kingdom are saying that Lord Aindora defeated the Orc Kingdom and Her Majesty the Queen is going to repay him with her body. I've heard people talking about it everywhere I go on my way here."

Si's tone was relatively calm, but she unconsciously fiddled with her fingers, clearly not as relaxed as she appeared.

Rune remained silent for a moment, vaguely sensing that something was amiss.

'Are many people spreading this rumor?'

The fact that this could be done so quickly is most likely due to the Dragon Kingdom's higher-ups actively promoting it.

That old fox Bergman, he had barely finished dealing with the Orc Kingdom's affairs when these rumors started circulating in the Dragon Kingdom. Rune didn't believe that the prime minister wasn't behind it.

But what are the benefits of the other party doing this?

Logically, the crisis in the Dragon Kingdom should have been resolved, and the Orc Kingdom should no longer pose a threat. Bergman should have no reason to promote this.

Even if Bergman really thought he might be a lolicon, shouldn't he have tested the waters first?

'Are you so sure I'm a lolicon?'

Rune was somewhat hurt, but he didn't voice his deduction.

He looked at Si's eyes, which were still waiting for an answer, and sighed silently in his heart.

He overestimated his sister's intelligence.

"Don't worry, I won't marry Queen Dorothy."

Rune wore a helpless smile that seemed to say, "How could you think that?" but he made a firm promise in his tone.

Si stared at him for a few seconds, as if trying to confirm something.

Then her eyes curved slightly, and the corners of her mouth slowly opened up, making her look completely refreshed.

"That's good. I thought my elder brother was planning to pledge himself to the Dragon Kingdom."

"Idiot." Rune used his head-patting move again.

Si stuck out her tongue, then reached out and naturally grasped Rune's sleeve, just like when she was a child.

"Let's go then." The tentative tone in Si's voice had disappeared, replaced by anticipation. "My elder brother said he would take me sightseeing, so we can't go back on our word."

Rune was pulled forward two steps by her, and he followed her steps toward the road outside the camp that led to the market.

The midday sun shone down from above, casting pale shadows on the houses on both sides of the street. There was a small dark water stain at the base of the wall, probably from someone splashing water earlier that morning.

Silk walked half a step ahead of him, her pace a little faster than usual, her long golden hair swaying gently with the rhythm of her steps.

She would occasionally turn her head to glance at the shops along the roadside, then look away and continue walking.

Rune followed behind, watching her back.

Sunlight fell on her shoulders, making her red and white leather armor gleam slightly.

His expression was still that of a friendly smile, with the corners of his lips slightly curved and his eyebrows relaxed, making him look like a normal older brother who was out having fun.

But a subtle complexity lies hidden deep within his eyes.

Rune was indeed getting anxious. Nazarick's actions had deviated from the original story, and he couldn't predict what would happen next.

Similarly, he didn't know when the next opportunity to fulfill his promise would come if he missed this chance.

The aroma of freshly baked bread wafted from the street corner ahead. Si paused slightly, turning her head to look in the direction of the scent.

“Brother,” her voice drifted from the front, “the bread here smells different from that in the capital.”

“Hmm,” Rune responded, “The Dragon Kingdom is close to the Slane Theocracy, and its baking techniques have been influenced by that.”

"Then I want to try it." Si's voice rose at the end, full of uncontainable joy.

Rune smiled. His younger sister was still so greedy, getting so happy whenever she saw bread with different flavors.

The bakery was small, with a facade painted in pale yellow lime. Under the eaves hung a faded wooden sign with a crookedly drawn ear of wheat.

The shop was open, and the bread in the baking trays was neatly stacked, with the edges slightly browned, and wisps of steam rising from the gaps.

Silk peeked into the baking pan, then turned to Rune, her eyes filled with undisguised anticipation.

Rune then stepped forward, bought a small bag, and handed it to her. Si took it and pinched out a small piece from the bag opening.

The bread was still warm, with crispy edges. You could hear a slight cracking sound when you bit into it. The inside was soft, white, and steaming.

Si took a small bite, her cheeks puffing out slightly, chewing slowly as if carefully discerning the difference between the taste and that of the capital.

After swallowing, she narrowed her eyes slightly and then nodded to Rune.

“It’s different,” she said. “Sweeter. But not overly sweet.”

Seeing her earnest evaluation, Rune became a little curious.

Silk then handed the piece of bread she had bitten to Rune, holding her hand up in mid-air.

Chapter 112 Crisis

The aroma of bread still lingered in his nose. Rune looked at the piece of bread that Si had handed him, with a crescent-shaped notch on the edge where she had taken a bite, and it was steaming slightly.

Rune hesitated for a moment, then took a bite as well.

The bread has a crispy crust and a soft interior, with a unique sweetness, which is indeed quite different from that in the capital.

Seeing that he had eaten, Si nodded in satisfaction, took the bread back, and continued eating.

"My brother also thinks the sweetness level is just right, right?"

"Hmm, it's alright, not too sweet." Rune gave it a very high rating.

But his gaze involuntarily fell on the bread in Si's hand, and she really only let him take a bite before putting the bread back.

Rune looked away with a hint of helplessness. He didn't mean to dislike his sister, but he felt that Si was a bit possessive of her food, so he only gave her one bite.

They walked slowly along the main street of the market.

Silk walked in the light, her golden hair shining, and the edges of her red and white leather armor were inlaid with light, making her look like she had stepped out of a painting.

There were many vendors on both sides of the street. Although this city on the border of the Dragon Kingdom was not as large as the capital, perhaps because the war was over, the city was just as vibrant.

Large dried fruits were displayed on the dried fruit stalls, the clanging of hammers echoed from the blacksmith's shop, and various colored fabrics were piled on the wooden shelves of the general store.

Silk was interested in everything. She stopped at a spice stall, bent down to smell the dark brown powder in the jar, and looked up to ask the stall owner what it was for.

The stall owner was a middle-aged woman wearing a faded apron. Seeing that she was wearing adventurer's armor and had an extraordinary demeanor, her tone became more cautious and polite. She said that the spices were brought from the southern trade route and that a little should be added when stewing meat to remove the fishy smell.

Si nodded, put down the jar, and walked briskly to the next stall.

They passed a stall selling woven goods, and Si paused, her gaze falling on the woven hats.

The hat was exquisitely woven, with different shades of material interwoven into simple geometric patterns.

"This looks nice." She picked it up, looked at it, then put it down and turned to look at the other stalls.

The stall owner was an elderly woman with gray hair, her back bent low. But when she looked up and saw Rune's face, her eyes widened and her lips moved, clearly recognizing him.

Rune nodded to her, took out a copper coin from his pocket, placed it on the stall, and picked up the two hats and stacked them together.

The stall owner tried to push the money back, but Rune stopped him with a look.

Si noticed the movement behind her and turned around.

"Elder brother."

"Ok?"

Why did you buy that?

"Isn't that what you wanted?"

Si's lips unconsciously curled up slightly, but she quickly suppressed it. She walked over, took the two hats stacked together from Rune's hand, and examined them over and over again.

"I just thought it looked nice, I didn't say I wanted to buy it." She said, but had already put one of the hats on her own head and placed the other on Rune's head.

Looking at her insincere expression, Rune could only sigh helplessly in his heart.

They continued walking, slowly strolling along the main street of the market.

The number of pedestrians on the road gradually increased, probably people who had taken a break from work in the afternoon and came out to buy things. Occasionally, one or two carts squeezed through the crowd.

Si stopped in front of a stall selling candied fruit.

She tucked the small bag of bread under her arm, her eyes fixed on the various colored candied fruits on the stall, glistening with sugar frost in the sunlight.

Before she could turn around, Rune had already gone up and said a few words to the stall owner.

The stall owner was a lean, middle-aged man. He wrapped a small packet of mixed candied fruit in clean paper and handed it over with both hands. Rune paid for it and then turned to hand the packet to Si.

Si took the paper package, opened a corner to peek inside, and then put the package into the small pocket on the side of the leather armor with satisfaction.

Rune followed behind her, silently watching Si Kaixin's happy expression and feeling the peaceful atmosphere of the Dragon Kingdom. The false peace almost made him intoxicated.

But Rune knew very well that the real crisis was Nazarick, which would defeat the orc kingdom. The dragon kingdom could win because of it, but it could also be destroyed because of it.

Silk walked to the street corner and stopped.

In front of her was a small shop selling handicrafts.

The storefront is small, with several hand-woven bird ornaments hanging under the eaves. The wings are made of dried leaves, and upon closer inspection, a few colorful seeds are also attached.

Si's gaze lingered on the birds for a moment.

"Do you like it?" Rune asked, walking up behind her.

"It's alright." Si turned her head to the side. "It's just that I rarely see such small things."