Ainz Ooal Gown: Noble Knight

He was a burly man, wearing silver armor and with a broad-bladed longsword hanging at his waist.

His hair was cut very short, revealing a broad forehead and a sharply defined face, and his gait carried the steadiness honed by years of battles.

Gödel Stroronov, the Kingdom's Warrior Captain, is a standard combat unit in the other world.

Rune's gaze lingered on Gazef for a moment before shifting away.

His interactions with the sergeant were quite limited.

Following his deliberate strategy, he tried to avoid having too much contact with Gazef, who was the first native Ainz came into contact with and recognized in the original work. Before he met Ainz, Rune did not want Gazef to be subjected to any unnecessary interference.

Therefore, he has avoided it whenever possible over the years.

Although it doesn't matter now, he hasn't established contact with Gerdoff yet.

So at that moment, when Gazef walked towards him, Rune naturally assumed that the warrior captain's target would be Flyff.

After all, having been attacked so many times in the capital, Fei Fei and Ge Jiefu should have fought side by side before, and the probability that the two were familiar with each other was much higher than that of this nobleman who deliberately kept his distance.

He slowed his pace by half a step, giving Feifei and the warrior captain space to exchange pleasantries, while preparing to walk into the entrance of the royal city.

As a result, Gerdov stopped in front of him.

Rune stopped in his tracks.

Gazef's gaze fell on Rune, and a smile appeared on his angular face.

He stood ramrod straight, raised his right arm, and then made a salute that Rune knew all too well.

He clenched his right fist and slammed it hard into his left chest. The muffled thud was remarkably clear.

"Heart Sasagiyo." (Otherworldly version)

Rune's mouth was slightly open, and he stood there blankly.

He looked at that honest and earnest face, his mind reeling.

'What's going on?' he cried out silently in his heart. 'Why is the Kingdom Warrior Captain greeting me with the Aindora's salute? Isn't that something only soldiers in the territory do? When did he learn that?'

Rune's lips twitched; they moved slightly, but he hadn't yet responded...

A loud voice came from beside me.

"S...Sparashi!"

Feifei's voice came from under the helmet, filled with excited admiration.

He turned to the side, his eyes, hidden beneath his full-face helmet, seemingly fixed intently on Gerdev's movements.

Then he raised his right hand, fingers together, back ramrod straight, and gave a perfect German military salute.

Sunlight fell on Fei Fei's full black armor, making his raised right hand gleam, giving his posture a solemn yet strangely dramatic quality.

A few leaves drifted by in the sky, and Gerdjev's salute remained an afterimage as the German military salute was raised high.

Rune stood between the two, feeling as if he were experiencing some kind of ordeal that was difficult to describe in words.

He slowly raised his hands and covered his face.

The moment his fingers touched his forehead, he felt a gaze.

He turned his head slightly and looked to the side through his fingers.

Nabe stood behind Feifei, one hand on her forehead, her face turned away to look elsewhere, but her posture was exactly the same as Rune's.

Her brows were slightly furrowed, and the corners of her mouth were downturned, giving off an aura of "I don't want to admit that I know him."

Sunlight fell between the two, making their silent resonance exceptionally clear.

Rune lowered his hand, and Nabe also lowered his hand.

The two looked at each other again.

A complex emotion flowed between their eyes, unlike the polite, socially polite gazes they had exchanged earlier; this time it was a subtle resonance that felt like "you understand how it feels too."

Rune saw Nabe's eyebrows twitch slightly, as if to say, "You've had it tough too."

Rune smiled slightly, as if replying, "Likewise."

After a moment of unspoken understanding, the two looked away from each other.

Feifei had already lowered her salute and was looking at Gerdov with a surprised expression, as if she had discovered one of her own kind.

Chapter 129 Imperial Council

The air at the entrance to the royal city seemed to still vibrate silently.

Feifei's textbook-perfect German military salute, intertwined with the muffled thud of Gödel's chest pounding, created a sacred image that lingered on Rune's retina.

Sunlight fell on the jet-black full-body armor, gilding the raised right hand with a layer of light, like a war statue that had been given life.

Rune had lowered his hands from his face, but he was still somewhat troubled.

Fortunately, although the process was somewhat bumpy, Rune did not come away empty-handed.

'At least now we know that this adventurer Flying isn't Ainz,' Rune comforted himself.

If the person in front of him was Ainz himself, then even if his mindset had changed after being transported to another world, he would never have done such a shameful thing.

Moreover, Nabella would never show such undisguised disdain for Ainz.

This Fei Fei was definitely played by Pandora Yator.

Rune made up his mind about this.

Gerd and Fei Fei had already greeted each other.

The sergeant still had a sincere smile on his face, clearly appreciating Feifei's way of saluting.

Although the posture was completely different from the salute he was familiar with, the momentum it conveyed was quite infectious.

Rune struggled to compose himself and forced a smile as he turned to Gervais.

“Sir Warrior,” Rune’s voice still carried a hint of embarrassment, “this salute…may I ask, where did you learn it?”

Upon hearing this, Gerd's smile widened, and he subconsciously puffed out his chest again.

"It was Miss Si who taught me." He said, then hesitated, "Could it be... that I didn't do it properly?"

Rune felt a throbbing in his temple.

He silently complained in his heart about the little cotton-padded jacket, the kind that lets in the wind.

“No, no, Captain, you did a very good job.” Rune quickly waved his hand, his tone sincere, “Standard… very standard.”

Feifei stood to the side, her gaze sweeping back and forth between Rune and Gazef beneath her full-face helmet.

The excitement he had felt from meeting a like-minded person hadn't completely subsided, and his attention was completely absorbed by the conversation.

The warrior captain said that Miss Silk taught him, and even asked Rune if it was standard.

Feifei's mind was racing.

Judging from the context of this conversation, it is clear that the silk was the channel through which Gerdov learned this excellent salute posture.

And Silk is Rune's sister, plus the warrior captain's authoritative tone just now.

The case is solved; the source of this action was Rune himself.

Pandora's gaze became more focused as he looked at Rune, his unseen eyes gleaming with a light akin to "discovering one of his own kind."

Rune felt the gaze from Feifei, a scorching gaze that was shining directly on him.

He quickly looked away, pretending to study the relief patterns above the city gate, but the feeling of being watched lingered, like an invisible flame burning on the back of his neck.

Rune could only pray that Pandora wouldn't drag him into discussing the "art of saluting" in front of everyone.

Gazef's voice rang out at the opportune moment, and he said with a touch of emotion, "Speaking of which, Your Excellency Eindora, Princess Lana was indeed right."

Rune paused slightly, "Princess Lana?"

“Hmm.” Gazef nodded, his eyes filled with gratitude for the suggestion. “Her Highness said that greeting him with the etiquette of the Aindora territory would make Lord Rune feel welcome and help to shorten the distance between them more quickly. Now it seems that this is indeed the case.”

He paused, then added, "Her Highness also said that although Lord Rune seems easygoing, he is actually a person who pays great attention to etiquette and rules. If the wrong approach is used, it will make Lord Rune feel distant."

Rune's lips twitched.

Lana, it really is her.

He was right. Although his younger sister Si could be a bit of a chuunibyou (a Japanese term for someone with delusions of grandeur) at times, she would never be so chuunibyou as to actively teach Gerald how to use this position... probably.

Even a soldier as honest and upright as the sergeant would never do such a thing.

It was Lana's doing all along; that guy clearly did it on purpose.

Whether out of a wicked sense of humor or some other motive, she clearly enjoyed watching him become embarrassed.

Rune silently noted this debt in his mind, then put on his gentle smile again and nodded to Gazef: "Your Highness, you have gone to great lengths. I have already appreciated the Warrior Commander's kindness."

Upon hearing this, Gerdav's eyes crinkled even more. He turned to the side, made a "please" gesture, and turned towards the entrance of the royal city: "The meeting is about to start, let's go in together."

Feifei and Rune started walking at the same time, with Naberal following behind Feifei.

The three of them passed through the gates of the royal city and walked along the dark stone-paved corridor toward the conference room.

Huge tapestries adorned the walls on both sides, woven with patterns symbolizing the kingdom. Every few steps, there was a wall lamp inlaid with magic crystals, its light soft and constant.

The corridor was quiet, with only the sound of three people's footsteps echoing in the empty space.

Passing through the archway at the end of the corridor, the entire conference room comes into view.

It was a space even more expansive than Rune had imagined. The dome was high, painted with ancient murals, which, though somewhat blurred by the erosion of time, still revealed their former glory. The wall lamps cast interplay of light and shadow, just as the kingdom appeared peaceful on the surface, yet undercurrents surged beneath.

However, as Rune turned his gaze from the palace surrounding the meeting to the arrangement of the meeting, a subtle feeling welled up inside him.

The nobles were all standing.

This meeting room is more like a huge hall than a "room".

In the center was an open space covered with a dark carpet, where the invited nobles stood in twos and threes, talking in hushed tones.

There were only two seats. On a raised platform at the far end of the conference room, there were two chairs, one large and heavy, and the other slightly smaller.

That's where King Lambusa III and the heir to the throne are seated.

The nobles, who were used to living in luxury, now had to stand, while the king and the heir to the throne could sit in high places.