Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

Si stood a few steps away, watching this scene.

Her eyes widened.

The little girl who had just been holding her hand and calling her "little sister" in a childish voice now had a melancholy that shouldn't be there for someone her age, as well as a weariness worn down by the long years.

The innocent light in those big eyes was gone, replaced by a sense of acceptance that had long since given up on all the helplessness.

"...Your Majesty?"

Si hesitated for a moment before speaking, unable to believe that the queen, who had just spoken in a childish voice, had suddenly transformed into a melancholic older sister.

Derodile's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment.

She snapped back to reality, blinked, as if she had just woken from a long daze.

Then she looked down at herself, at her light pink dress, and at her petite, doll-like figure…

Her Majesty's shoulders tensed slightly.

Oops.

She just accidentally revealed her true feelings.

Derodile quickly adjusted her expression, putting on that "innocent and carefree" smile again.

"Ok?"

She tried her best to restore her soft, sweet voice, tilted her head, and put on an adorable look that said, "I don't know anything."

"What's wrong, Miss Si?"

Then, as if she had remembered something to remedy the situation, she raised her hand and wiped the corner of her eye.

The movements were very exaggerated, as if they were afraid others wouldn't see them.

"Ugh... I was really scared when we talked about the Beastman Kingdom... Luckily, with the help of Lord Rune and Mr. Sebastian, the Dragon Kingdom was able to overcome the crisis."

She buried her face in her hands, her shoulders trembling slightly, and she let out a dry sob.

But the sound didn't really sound like someone crying.

Derodile's fingers peeked out from between the lines, quickly scanning the expressions of everyone present.

Rune stood inside the doorway of the reception room, witnessing the entire process unfold.

His lips twitched slightly.

That acting was so fake, only a fool would believe it.

Even if you're going to play the victim, you should at least cover up your peeping eyes.

With his fingers spread so wide, even he could see the darting eyeball. This acting skill wouldn't even earn him a few coins as a street performer in the capital.

however

But the silk moved.

She took two steps forward and walked up to Derodile.

Silk moved cautiously, as if approaching a young animal that might be startled and run away at any moment.

Then she bent down, reached out, and carefully embraced Derodile's body, which was still pretending to sob.

"His Majesty……"

Her voice was gentle, filled with a care that bordered on maternal.

"You must be very tired."

The emperor addressed her respectfully as "Your Majesty," but the way his hands encircled her was like a mother comforting her daughter.

Chapter 116 Origin Magic

Silk remained in that embracing posture, her hands gently encircling Derodile's petite body.

It was as if she were holding a tiny, innocent life in her arms, needing to be carefully nurtured. Her gaze was gentle, and she radiated a maternal glow.

As Rune watched this scene, his brain was undergoing a violent shock.

“Unbelievable…” he murmured, his voice so soft that only he could hear it, “How could they have fooled Si like that?”

His gaze fell on Si's face, which was filled with heartache, and he studied it carefully for a moment.

A thought flashed through Rune's mind: Could Si have done this on purpose? Was she pretending to be pitying him so she could take advantage of him?

After all, Derodell's words, "After marriage, we'll be family," had really angered Si.

But after looking at it for a few more seconds, Rune dismissed the guess.

Si's expression didn't seem like she was acting at all.

The tenderness in his eyes and the concern between his brows were genuine, and even the rhythm of his breathing was carefully slow and gentle.

“…I really was deceived.” Rune raised his hand and covered his forehead, pressing his fingers lightly against his forehead, trying to alleviate the helplessness that welled up from the bottom of his heart.

'No wonder Princess Lana was able to fool Silk so completely.' Rune sighed silently to himself, a sense of powerlessness washing over him.

He lowered his hand from his forehead and looked helplessly at the two people in the center of the living room.

Deloris was being held by Silk, her tender little face trying hard to maintain an innocent expression, but her body was very stiff.

Derodile was indeed not used to this kind of loving embrace.

Sebastian, however, paid no attention to this scene. His mind was completely absorbed in what Derodion had just said, and he was checking each point against the information he had.

'If dragons are truly as Her Majesty describes them, with unpredictable personalities and prone to doing many things on a whim…'

He silently reasoned in his mind. 'Then it makes perfect sense that Shalltear happened to encounter a dragon out looking for fun while she was operating near Erantil.'

Shalltear was hunting in the forest as a vampire when her powerful aura caught the attention of a passing dragon.

Out of "curiosity" or "interest," the dragon came into contact with Shalltear, discovered her power, and then took control of her.

Everything fits together.

Sebastian's gaze sharpened; no wonder all of Ainz's subsequent probing attempts had failed.

Several attempts were made... but all went unanswered, receiving no response whatsoever.

'What Nazarick has been testing is nothing more than a dragon that has long since returned home and no longer cares about affairs here.'

'It might have just been passing through and, on a whim, took control of Shalltear. Afterwards, it returned to its own territory, no longer caring about what happened in the kingdom.'

This deduction gradually took shape in Sebastian's mind, perfectly matching all the known information.

Sebastian felt a sense of relief. He straightened his expression and turned his attention back to the conversation in front of him.

"Your Majesty," Sebastian asked again, "I would like to ask a more specific question: in what specific aspects do dragons' abilities manifest?"

Derodile is tormented by being embraced by silk.

Upon hearing Sebastian's question, she practically sprang from Silk's embrace, moving as nimbly as a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"Huh? The power of a dragon!"

She took a half step back, creating distance between herself and the silk, and Her Majesty the Queen finally found a lifeline to escape the predicament.

She cleared her throat and put her "innocent and carefree" mask back on, but the unease she had felt earlier was clearly still affecting her.

“Dragons have incredibly strong bodies,” Dorothy Long counted on her fingers. “Their scales are harder than steel, their claws can tear through city walls, and their magical talents are top-notch.”

She paused for a moment when she said this, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her big eyes.

Should we tell you about Primal Magic?

Derodile's gaze lingered for a moment on Sebastian's seemingly righteous face before sweeping over Rune's calm expression.

What Lu Enqing and this Mr. Sebastian did for the Dragon Kingdom went far beyond the scope of "aid".

The threat from the Orcish Kingdom was completely eliminated, and millions of lives were saved.

Moreover, primordial magic is hardly a secret to many factions.

Derodile made a decision.

“...However, truly powerful dragons do not use rank-based magic.” The Queen’s voice unconsciously grew heavier. “They use a more ancient form of primordial magic.”

Sebastian's breath caught in his throat for a moment.

His pupils contracted slightly, and the calm that had been settling in his light gray eyes was suddenly shattered.

Primal magic.

He had never read about this kind of magic in any book.

"Primordial...magic?" Sebastian asked the Queen again, just in case he had misheard.

“Hmm.” Derodion nodded. “Primal magic is a magic system that the dragon race itself has. It is older than rank magic, and only dragons that can use primal magic are called true dragon kings.”

Sebastian's Adam's apple bobbed as he "keenly" realized that this might be the power the dragon used to control Shalltear.

The fact that Shalltear was controlled is something no known class-specific magic could accomplish; the undead should be completely immune to mental attacks.

But what if primordial magic could bypass the so-called rules and act directly on the "bottom layer"?

Then everything makes sense.

Sebastian was in turmoil, but his expression remained calm.

He nodded, signaling Derodile to continue.

Dorothy was a little uneasy about his focused expression, but she continued, "However, primordial magic also has its limitations."

Sebastian's eyes suddenly lit up.

"What restrictions?"

Derodile's large eyes drooped slightly, and she hesitated for several seconds before raising them again.

"...Primordial magic consumes the soul."

The air in the reception room seemed to freeze at that moment.

Sebastian froze on the spot; what he thought was the breakthrough point instantly turned into a shock.

Consumes soul.